• Bilkis Bano case: All 11 life imprisonments convicts released under Gujarat government's remission policy

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    Bilkis Bano case: All 11 life imprisonments convicts released under Gujarat government's remission policy

    These convicts had served more than 15 years in jail after which one of them approached the Supreme Court with a plea for his premature release.


    Digital Desk: All the 11 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2002
    post-Godhra Bilkis Bano gang rape case walked out of the Godhra sub-jail. This
    comes after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission
    policy.



     



    The 11 accused - Radheshyam shah, Jaswant
    Chaturbhai Nai, Keshubhai Vadaniya, Bakabhai Vadaniya, Rajibhai Soni, Rameshbhai
    Chauhan, Shaileshbhai Bhatt, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Govindbhai Nai, Mitesh Bhatt,
    Pradip Modhiya - walked out of jail on Monday.



     



    A special CBI court in Mumbai on January 21,
    2008, sentenced the eleven accused to life imprisonment on the charge of gang
    rape and murder of seven members of Bilkis Bano's family. Their conviction was
    later upheld by the Bombay High Court.



     



    These convicts had served more than 15 years
    in jail after which one of them approached the Supreme Court with a plea for
    his premature release.



     



    The apex court had directed the Gujarat
    government to look into the issue of remission of his sentence following which
    the government formed a committee, said Panchmahals Collector Sujal Mayatra,
    who headed the panel.



     



    "A committee formed a few months back
    took a unanimous decision in favour of remission of all the 11 convicts in the
    case. The recommendation was sent to the state government, and yesterday we
    received the orders for their release," said Mayatra.