Supreme Court Refuses Bail for Bilkis Bano Case Convicts
The Supreme Court of India has declined a petition for interim bail by two convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. The convicts, Radheshyam Bhagwandas Shah and Rajubhai Babulal Soni, sought bail until a fresh decision on their challenge to the court’s January 8 verdict, which canceled their remission and led to re-imprisonment.
Details of the Case
On January 8, the Supreme Court struck down the Gujarat government’s order granting remission to 11 convicts who had gangraped Bilkis Bano and murdered her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots. The convicts argued that the January 8 verdict was judicially improper and created uncertainty about which legal precedent to follow.
Conflicting Judgments
The plea mentioned that two different benches of the Supreme Court had taken different views on the case. The January 8 judgment by Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan overruled a May 13, 2022, judgment by Justices Ajay Rastogi and Vikram Nath, which had allowed the Gujarat government to decide on remission applications.
The January 8 verdict found that the May 2022 judgment was obtained by misleading the court and suppressing key facts. It held that the Maharashtra government, not the Gujarat government, was the appropriate authority to decide on remission.
Conclusion
The Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain the bail plea means that the convicts will remain in prison until a larger bench makes a final decision on the matter.
Doubts Revealed
Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in India. It makes the final decisions on important legal matters.
Bail -: Bail is when someone who is in jail is allowed to go home while they wait for their trial. They usually have to promise to come back to court.
Bilkis Bano case -: The Bilkis Bano case is a famous legal case in India where a woman named Bilkis Bano was attacked during a time of violence in 2002. Many people were hurt during this time.
Convicts -: Convicts are people who have been found guilty of a crime by a court.
Interim bail -: Interim bail is temporary permission for someone in jail to go home for a short time until a final decision is made.
Petition -: A petition is a formal request made to a court asking for a specific decision or action.
Remission -: Remission is when the government reduces the time someone has to stay in jail.
Re-imprisonment -: Re-imprisonment means sending someone back to jail after they had been released.
Misconceived -: Misconceived means that the court thought the request was not based on a good understanding of the law.
Gujarat government -: The Gujarat government is the group of people who make decisions for the state of Gujarat in India.