The Supreme Court in its Monday’s verdict not only annulled the amnesty granted to the 11 convicts but also criticised the Gujarat government for what it deemed an abuse of discretion.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Nine of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano rape case, ordered by the Supreme Court this week to report to prison authorities in two weeks, have gone untraceable with their homes locked.
The apex court on Monday revoked the amnesty granted to them by the Gujarat government and all the convicts are mandated to return to prison.
According to media reports, families of the 9 untraceable convicts claimed ignorance about their whereabouts. A visit to their native village in Gujarat’s Dahood by the media revealed locked doors and an air of uncertainty surrounding the fugitive convicts.
The police, in a statement, say that they have not yet received a copy of the Supreme Court’s verdict. The convicts are reportedly out of contact, and there is no information regarding their surrender.
Dahood Superintendent of Police Balaram Meena was quoted by media reports as saying on Tuesday that there is no concrete information about the whereabouts of the convicts, with some allegedly having gone to meet their relatives. He said police force has been deployed in the vicinity of the convicts’ residences as a precautionary measure.
Bilkis Bano, aged 21 and five months pregnant during the 2002 communal riots sparked by the Godhra train burning incident, was subjected to gangrape. Tragically, her 3-year-old daughter and six other family members lost their lives during the violence.
The Supreme Court in its Monday’s verdict not only annulled the amnesty granted to the 11 convicts but also criticised the Gujarat government for what it deemed an abuse of discretion. The court ordered the immediate return of all released convicts to jail within the next two weeks, underscoring the gravity of the case.
