Bilkis Bano case: No SC relief, kin of one convict says he will surrender on Sunday
Ahmedabad, Jan 20: A relative of one of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case said on Saturday that he will surrender on the evening of January 21, the deadline set by the Supreme Court.
The apex court on Friday dismissed a plea by the convicts, sentenced to life imprisonment in the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots, seeking an extension of time to surrender.
The convicts, who belong to Singvad and Randhikpur villages in Singvad taluka of Dahod, are required to surrender at Godhra sub-jail in Panchmahal district on Sunday.
A relative of Shailesh Bhatt, one of the convicts, told PTI that he would surrender before the Godhra jail authorities on Sunday evening.
The top court had on January 8 annulled the remission granted to the convicts by the Gujarat government in the high-profile case, slamming the state for "usurpation of power".
In August 15, 2022, the convicts were granted premature release after the Gujarat government accepted their remission applications in accordance with its 1992 policy, citing their good conduct' in jail.
The police in Dahod district, from where the convicts hail, had said on Friday that the men were under "police watch" and not missing, as claimed by some media reports. The police said the convicts had been contacted and it did not appear that they had any intention of going incommunicado.
As it quashed the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, the Supreme Court had on January 8 ordered the 11 men to go back to jail within two weeks.
Five of the convicts later moved the Supreme Court seeking more time to surrender on various grounds, including failing health, impending surgery, son's marriage and harvesting crops. The SC on Friday dismissed their applications, observing that the reasons had no merit.
The convicts Bakabhai Vohania, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Govind Nai, Jaswant Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, Pradeep Mordhiya, Radheshyam Shah, Rajubhai Soni, Ramesh Chandana and Shailesh Bhatt had been in jail for 14 years before their release in August 2022.
After Bano filed a petition challenging the state's decision, the top court quashed the remission order, ruling that the Gujarat government lacked jurisdiction to grant premature release to the convicts as the trial had been held in Maharashtra.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
