Ramesh Chandana to Attend Family Event Amidst Legal Proceedings Following Godhra Riots Conviction
Team Clarion
AHMEDABAD-The Gujarat High Court has approved a 10-day parole for Ramesh Chandana, a convict in the Bilkis Bano case, allowing him to attend his nephew’s wedding scheduled for March 5.
Chandana, who had filed for parole last week, becomes the second convict from the case to receive temporary release, following the surrender of all 11 convicts at a jail in Godhra town on January 21, as mandated by a Supreme Court directive.
The convicts were found guilty in a case involving the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 Godhra riots.
In his order issued on Friday, Justice Divyesh Joshi stated, “By this application, the convict-applicant prays for parole leave on the grounds of attending the marriage ceremony of the son of his sister. Taking into consideration the grounds urged in this application, the applicant-accused is ordered to be released on parole leave for a period of ten days.”
According to records presented by the Gujarat government to the Supreme Court, Chandana has previously availed 1,198 days of parole and 378 days of furlough since his imprisonment in 2008.
Earlier this month, another convict in the case, Pradip Modhiya, was released from Godhra jail on parole from February 7 to 11, following approval from the high court.
In August 2022, 11 convicts serving life sentences were granted premature release from jail after the state government accepted their remission applications, citing their ‘good conduct’ during imprisonment. However, the Supreme Court nullified the remission on January 8, ruling that the state government lacked jurisdiction to grant early release, as the trial was held in Maharashtra.
Subsequently, the convicts, who had been released from Godhra district jail in 2022 after 14 years of imprisonment, were ordered to return to jail within two weeks. They complied with the directive and surrendered before the Godhra jail authorities on January 21.
The parole granted to Chandana underscores the legal complexities surrounding the case, as legal proceedings continue amidst familial and social obligations.
