All eleven convicts in the Bilkis Bano case surrendered before the Godhra jail authorities late Sunday night, minutes before the two-week deadline set by the Supreme Court on January 8. The culprits of the heinous crimes had to return after the top court nullified the remission and premature release granted by the Gujarat government on August 15, 2022.
On Friday, the Supreme Court refused to give convicts any further “breathing time” to surrender.
The 11 convicts — Radheshyam Shah, Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Kesar Vohania, Baka Vohania, Raju Soni, Ramesh Chandana, Shailesh Bhatt, Bipin Joshi, Pradip Modhiya, and Mitesh Bhatt — arrived at around 11:45 PM to the Godhra sub-jail.
The release of the 11 men triggered a widespread public outcry, prompting various PILs to be submitted to the Supreme Court. Earlier this month, citing the Gujarat government’s incompetence, the Supreme Court cancelled the High Court order that had allowed the early release of Bilkis Bano’s rapists.
