Why Are Bilkis Bano Rapists Out For Good Behaviour When One Of Them Has Been Accused Of Molestation On Parole?
Does anyone recall how a while back the rapists from the Bilkis Bano gangrape case were given bail after 18 years in prison under the pretext of having “good behaviour”. This caused an uproar and outrage from the masses who questioned what good behaviour even meant for criminals of their caliber. These men were welcomed with garlands as if they were returning home after doing something honourable which sickened me to my stomach, in all honesty. However, now it has surfaced that one of the defendants is accused of violating a woman’s modesty while on parole in June 2020. So… why are we bringing up “good behaviour”?
Even as the Dahod SP approved the early release of 10 of the 11 prisoners in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case earlier this year, documents reveal that two of the convicts, Ramesh Chandana, 58, and Mitesh Bhatt, 57, had offences registered against them while they were serving their sentences. Mitesh was charged with attacking a woman while on parole with the purpose to outraging her modesty. According to an annexure affidavit that the state Home Department’s Under Secretary presented to the Supreme Court, the accused Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt is accused of outraging a woman’s modesty under Section 354 of the IPC while he was on parole in June 2020, and the matter is still ongoing.
One of the convicts in bilkis bano case Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt is accused of committing an offence of outraging a woman’s modesty (Sec 354IPC) while out on parole during June 2020 & the said trial is pending, as per annexure in Gujarat Govt affidavit in pic.twitter.com/JoLSs858DM
— Ashish Mishra 🇮🇳 (@advocateash30) October 19, 2022
Also Read: Centre’s Push For Setting The Bilkis Bano Rapists Free On “Good Behaviour” Was Not Supported By The CBI
When the state government was reviewing the request to release the 11 convicts, including Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt on remission, the district superintendent of police (SP) gave the information to the District Magistrate Dahod. Ramesh Chandana was also the subject of a case under the Prison Act 51(a) and 51(b) in 2015 for late surrender, but the then-Dahod SP Hitesh Joysar observed in a message dated March 7, 2022 saying that there could not be any problem if premature release is provided. Notably, Chandana had three late surrenders out of the 11 times he had requested furlough leave, the longest being 122 days in 2015.
Also Read: In Indore, 36-Year-Old Man Kidnaps And Rapes A 2-Year-Old Girl. Such Monsters Should Be Severely Punished!
The Supreme Court stated on Tuesday that the Gujarat government’s response to petitions contesting the remission awarded to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case is “very bulky” and contains numerous judgments quoted in place of factual statements. “A very bulky counter. Where is the factual statement, where is the application of mind?” Justice Ajay Rastogi’s bench questioned. The panel, which included Justice C.T. Ravikumar as well, gave the petitioners time to respond to the state government’s counter-affidavit and set a new hearing date for November 29.
Following the Gujarat government’s decision to release them from life imprisonment, all 11 prisoners left the Godhra sub-jail on August 15 after serving an 18-year sentence in prison. They were condemned to life in jail in the 2002 post-Godhra Bilkis Bano gang-rape case. As punishment for the Godhra Train burning case in Gujarat, a mob attacked and killed seven members of Bilkis Bano’s family on March 3, 2002, in Limkheda Taluka of Dahod district. When she was five months pregnant, 19-year-old Bilkis was the victim of gang rape.
