The Gujarat High Court has granted seven days’ parole to Radheshyam Shah, one of the 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang rape and murder case, citing his family’s economic condition.
Shah will have to furnish a ₹10,000 personal bond, mark his presence at a police station on the third and fifth days, and surrender after the parole period ends.
The 11 convicts were released in August 2022 under a remission decision later quashed by the Supreme Court in January 2024, after which they returned to prison.
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday granted seven days’ parole to Radheshyam Shah, one of the 11 men convicted in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang rape and murder case, citing the financial hardship faced by his family.
Justice Sanjeev J Thaker said the court had considered the grounds cited in Shah’s petition as well as remarks submitted by prison authorities before deciding to grant him parole.
Shah Seeks Parole Over Family’s Financial Hardship
Shah’s lawyer K D Parmar told the court that the parole plea was based on the family’s difficult financial circumstances and Shah’s need to assist with household finances.
The court, in its order, said it was “inclined to exercise discretion” in Shah’s favour after considering the petition and the jail authorities’ remarks.
Shah is serving a life sentence for the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven members of her family during the 2002 Gujarat communal violence.
Convicts Returned To Prison After SC Quashed Remission
Shah was among the 11 convicts who were released from prison in August 2022 after the Gujarat government granted them remission.
The Supreme Court overturned the remission orders in January 2024, ruling that the Gujarat government did not have the jurisdiction to grant the relief. The court directed the convicts to surrender, following which all 11 returned to prison. Shah and the other convicts are currently lodged in Godhra jail.
The case dates back to March 2002, when Bilkis Bano, then five months pregnant, was gang-raped after her group was attacked by a mob while fleeing Randhikpur village during the communal violence. Seven members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, were killed.
Following a Supreme Court-directed CBI investigation and the transfer of the trial from Gujarat to Maharashtra, a special court convicted the 11 men in 2008 and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
