Bilkis Bano convicts filed a petition for interim bail in the Supreme Court, the judge refused to hear it.
Supreme Court: The Supreme Court refused to hear the petition for interim bail of two convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. The convicts had challenged the January decision of the Supreme Court itself in which the decision of the Gujarat government was overturned.
After the Supreme Court’s decision, the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case had to surrender. Two convicts in this case, Radeshyam Bhagwandas Shah and Rajubhai Babulal Soni, had challenged the Supreme Court’s decision and said that two benches had given opposite verdicts, in such a situation whose decision will be implemented. Till this matter is decided, they should be given interim bail.
The bench of Justice Sanjeev Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said that this petition is completely wrong. The bench said that how can an appeal be made against the decision of another bench? What kind of petition is this? It cannot be accepted in any way. It is not even worth hearing. The bench said, how can it be filed as a PIL under Article 32. At the same time, how can we hear the order passed by another bench?
After this, the petition filed on behalf of both the convicts was withdrawn by their lawyer Rishi Malhotra. Bhagwandas Shah had also filed a petition for interim bail, which was not heard. The convicts said that the decision given by the Supreme Court on January 8, 2024 was against the Constitution Bench of 2002. In such a situation, an appeal was made that the case be handed over to a larger bench. However, Justice Sanjeev Khanna said that only the second decision would be valid in this case.
In fact, during the riots that broke out after the Godhra incident in 2002, seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family were killed. At the same time, Bilkis Bano was gang-raped. At that time she was five months pregnant. Later the case was being heard in the Ahmedabad Sessions Court. Bilkis Bano said that there is an attempt to tamper with the evidence and witnesses are being intimidated. After this the case was shifted to Mumbai Court. Mumbai Court sentenced 11 convicts to life imprisonment in 2008 and acquitted seven due to lack of evidence. In the year 2023, the Gujarat government ordered the release of 11 convicts. Which was later overturned by the Supreme Court and the convicts had to surrender again.
Courtesy: Right News India
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