On 15 August 2022, 11 men serving life sentences for the gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of members of her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots walked out of Godhra sub-jail after the Gujarat government granted them remission under a 1992 policy, with the Centre's approval. The release, and the welcome the men received, set off letters, signature campaigns, rallies and petitions across India. On 8 January 2024 the Supreme Court quashed the remission orders, and all 11 men were back in Godhra sub-jail by the night of 21 January 2024.
Key takeaways
- Gujarat granted remission to the 11 men on 10 August 2022 under its 1992 policy, after a May 2022 Supreme Court order, a jail advisory committee's unanimous recommendation and the Centre's concurrence of 11 July 2022.
- The CBI and the special judge in Mumbai had opposed release, according to documents filed in the Supreme Court.
- Protests included a statement by more than 6,000 citizens, a letter from 134 former civil servants, rallies in several cities, and a march in Gujarat that police stopped.
- On 8 January 2024 the Supreme Court ruled that only Maharashtra, where the trial was held, could decide remission, and quashed the orders. All 11 surrendered by 21 January 2024.
Background: the conviction
The crimes took place on 3 March 2002 in Dahod district, during the riots that followed the Godhra train burning. Courts convicted the men of the gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of members of her family. Reports give the number of family members killed as seven, the figure in the conviction PTI via Tribune, or 14, the prosecution's figure ThePrint.
In December 2003 the Supreme Court ordered the CBI to investigate. The trial began in Ahmedabad, but in August 2004 the Supreme Court moved it to Mumbai after Bilkis Bano said witnesses could be harmed and evidence tampered with PTI via Tribune.
On 21 January 2008 a special CBI court in Mumbai sentenced 11 men to life imprisonment. In May 2017 a Bombay High Court bench headed by Justice VK Tahilramani upheld the convictions and life sentences LiveLaw ThePrint.
How the remission happened
One convict, Radheshyam Shah, first asked the Gujarat High Court to have Gujarat decide his remission. In July 2019 it said the appropriate government was Maharashtra. He applied to Maharashtra on 1 August 2019, where the CBI, the special CBI judge, and the Dahod police chief and district magistrate all gave negative opinions ThePrint.
Shah then went to the Supreme Court. On 13 May 2022 a bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Vikram Nath held that, because the crime was committed in Gujarat, Gujarat was the appropriate government. It told the state to decide within two months under its remission policy of 9 July 1992 PTI via Tribune. Gujarat's newer 2014 policy would not have allowed remission for these crimes ThePrint.
The remission was examined by a jail advisory committee headed by Panchmahal Collector Sujal Mayatra. "A committee formed a few months back took a unanimous decision in favour of remission of all the 11 convicts," he said PTI via Tribune. Two of its members were BJP MLAs: CK Raulji of Godhra and Sumanben Chauhan of Kalol The Quint.
The state's own documents, filed in the Supreme Court in October 2022, laid out the sequence National Herald The Leaflet:
- Documented The CBI's Superintendent of Police, Special Crime Branch, Mumbai, and the special CBI judge opposed premature release, citing the heinous nature of the crimes.
- Gujarat sent the proposal to the Union Home Ministry on 28 June 2022.
- The Centre conveyed its "concurrence/approval" under Section 435 of the CrPC by letter dated 11 July 2022.
- Release orders were issued on 10 August 2022, and the men walked out of Godhra sub-jail on 15 August.
The welcome after release
Documented Outside the jail the men were greeted by relatives and members of right-wing Hindu groups, who gave them sweets and touched their feet. Videos of the men being welcomed with sweets and garlands spread widely Al Jazeera Deccan Herald. Scroll reported that they then went to an auditorium of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Trust, where a man who said he was an RSS member garlanded them Scroll. Claim · The Quint The Quint reported they were "reportedly felicitated" by the Vishva Hindu Parishad at a later event The Quint.
Committee member Raulji told Mojo Story he did not know whether the men had committed the crime and said: "They are Brahmins, and as it is Brahmins have good sanskar [values]" The Wire. A day later he tweeted that "Rapists have nothing to do with caste" and that his statement was "being shown in a wrong way" The Quint.
On 17 August Bilkis Bano said in a statement released through her lawyer Shobha Gupta that she was "bereft of words" and "still numb". She added: "No one enquired about my safety and well-being, before taking such a big and unjust decision" Deccan Herald.
I appeal to the Gujarat Government, please undo this harm. Give me back my right to live without fear and in peace.
Bilkis Bano, statement, 17 August 2022 (Deccan Herald)
The protests
Most of the protest took the form of statements, letters and petitions, alongside rallies in several cities. No violence was reported in the sources reviewed.
Women's groups in Delhi
Dozens of women protested in New Delhi. Maimoona Mollah of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) said the group wanted the state to roll back its decision Al Jazeera.
6,000+ citizens' statement
More than 6,000 people, including grassroots workers and women's and human rights activists, asked the Supreme Court to revoke the remission and send the men back to prison "to serve the remainder of their life terms". Signatories included Syeda Hameed, Uma Chakravarti, Subhashini Ali and Kavita Krishnan, and groups such as Saheli, Bebaak Collective and Forum Against Oppression of Women PTI via Deccan Herald The Wire.
Kolkata and West Bengal
Activists protested in Kolkata on 24 August Scroll. On 26 August the Trinamool Congress women's wing protested across West Bengal PTI via Business Standard.
134 former civil servants write to the CJI
The Constitutional Conduct Group, whose 134 signatories included Najeeb Jung, Julio Ribeiro and Aruna Roy, urged the Chief Justice to rectify a "horrendously wrong decision". It argued that under a 2015 Constitution Bench ruling, Maharashtra should have heard the plea Scroll.
Rallies in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai
Protests called by 22 organisations, including AIDWA, AIPWA, YWCA, AISA and NAPM, were held at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, Freedom Park in Bengaluru, and in Mumbai Sabrang/NewsClick. The Quint counted over 500 students and activists in Bengaluru, where a memorandum with 200 signatures was to go to the Governor. Actor Shabana Azmi spoke at Jantar Mantar The Quint.
March in Gujarat stopped
Police detained activists, including Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey, before a planned 180-km march from Bilkis Bano's village of Randhikpur to Ahmedabad. The march, organised by the Hindu Muslim Ekta Samiti, was called "Apologizing to Bilkis Bano" Deccan Herald. Panchmahal police called it "preventive action" The Wire.
The Wire reported seven activists detained; one detainee, Hanif Kalandar, said eight The Wire. No organiser or outlet in the sources reviewed gave a nationwide total for turnout.
Political reaction crossed party lines. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the release Al Jazeera. BJP leader Khushbu Sundar called it "an insult to humankind" The News Minute. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the release followed a Supreme Court order, but felicitating the convicts was "wrong" PTI via Business Standard.
Both accounts
Protesters' and petitioners' account
Petitioners said the release was "premature" and "mechanical", that 11 cases were decided together instead of one by one, and that crimes this serious could not be remitted by any right-thinking authority Supreme Court Observer. Bilkis Bano's own petition, filed on 30 November 2022, said Shah had "deliberately played fraud" on the court by hiding material facts. It also said she was never told the remission process had begun BOOM. Women's groups said the release would have "a chilling effect on every rape victim" PTI via Deccan Herald.
Gujarat government and Centre's account
Government's position Gujarat said it had followed the Supreme Court's May 2022 order and the 1992 policy, not the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav remission circular. Its affidavit said the men were released "since they have completed 14 years and above in prisons and their behaviour was found to be good". It said Centre's approval was required because the CBI had investigated, and that approval had been obtained National Herald. It called the public-interest petitioners "interlopers" and "busybodies" with "political machinations" ETV Bharat. In the hearings it argued that even those convicted of heinous crimes deserved a chance to reform LiveLaw.
Government's position The Union government's role was its 11 July 2022 concurrence under Section 435 of the CrPC. In court, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju appeared for both Gujarat and the Union. LiveLaw reported that his submission for the Union was limited to the absence of a negative opinion from the CBI LiveLaw. Documented The documents Gujarat filed record that the CBI's Mumbai Special Crime Branch had opposed release The Leaflet. When Indira Jaising, a lawyer for one of the petitioners, raised the welcome, Raju asked: "What is wrong with garlanding a family member who comes out of jail?" Scroll.
The Supreme Court's 8 January 2024 judgment
After an 11-day hearing that began in August 2023, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan reserved judgment on 12 October 2023. It ruled on 8 January 2024 LiveLaw. Its main findings:
- Bilkis Bano's petition was maintainable. Because she had come to court herself, the bench left open whether the PILs were maintainable.
- Under Section 432(7) of the CrPC, the "appropriate government" is the state where the convict was tried and sentenced. That was Maharashtra, so Gujarat had no jurisdiction Tribune.
- The May 2022 order was a "nullity" because it had been obtained by suppressing material facts and "playing fraud on the court" PTI via Tribune.
- Gujarat had "usurped the powers of the State of Maharashtra", acted "in tandem" with the convict, and should have sought review of the May 2022 order.
- The men had to surrender within two weeks, and could seek remission again only from inside prison ThePrint.
I have wept tears of relief… This is what justice feels like.
Bilkis Bano, after the verdict, 8 January 2024 (Tribune)
On 19 January the bench rejected the convicts' requests for more time, which cited ageing parents, a family wedding and the harvest LiveLaw Scroll. "All 11 convicts have surrendered before jail authorities late Sunday night," crime branch inspector NL Desai said of 21 January Tribune.
After the verdict: review, fresh pleas and parole
Gujarat's review. In February 2024 Gujarat asked the court to remove remarks calling it "complicit". It said it had only complied with the May 2022 order and had told the courts Maharashtra was the competent authority Scroll. On 26 September 2024 the bench dismissed the review, finding "no error apparent on the face of the record" ETV Bharat.
Convicts' fresh plea. In March 2024 Shah and convict Rajubhai Soni filed a petition saying the January verdict clashed with the May 2022 ruling. They asked for a larger bench and a direction to the Centre to consider their premature release. On 19 July 2024 Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar called it "absolutely misconceived", and it was withdrawn PTI via Tribune.
Maharashtra's policy. Any new remission application now lies with Maharashtra. The special CBI judge had treated its 11 April 2008 resolution as the applicable policy, and the Supreme Court said that resolution was "the applicable policy for remission". It sets a minimum of 28 years for murder with rape ThePrint. No Maharashtra decision on any of the 11 had been reported as of October 2026 in the sources reviewed.
Parole. In February 2024 the Gujarat High Court gave convict Pradip Modhiya five days' parole after a death in his family India TV/PTI. In September 2026 it gave Shah seven days, citing the family's "economic condition". He had last been granted parole in December 2025 Madhyamam.
Outcome
- Release: 11 life convicts freed on 15 Aug 2022 under Gujarat's 1992 policy, with the Centre's concurrence of 11 July 2022.
- Protests: A 6,000+ signature statement, a letter from 134 former civil servants, rallies in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata, and a march in Gujarat stopped by police.
- Detentions: Seven or eight activists held in Panchmahal, 25-26 Sept 2022.
- Court: Remission quashed on 8 Jan 2024. Gujarat's review dismissed on 26 Sept 2024. Two convicts' fresh plea withdrawn on 19 July 2024.
- Custody: All 11 back in Godhra sub-jail by 21 Jan 2024. Radheshyam Shah was reported to be serving his life sentence in Sept 2026, and no release of any of the 11 has been reported.
What is still pending
Any future remission must come from Maharashtra under its own policy. No such decision has been reported. The Supreme Court left open whether third parties can file PILs against remission orders. No inquiry into the welcome given to the men, or into the jail advisory committee, was reported in the sources reviewed.
Questions people ask
Why were the Bilkis Bano convicts released in 2022?
A Supreme Court bench told Gujarat in May 2022 to decide one convict's remission plea under its 1992 policy. A jail advisory committee recommended releasing all 11, the Centre agreed on 11 July 2022, and Gujarat granted remission on 10 August. Gujarat said they had served over 14 years and behaved well in jail.
Who protested the remission?
Women's groups such as AIDWA and AIPWA, student groups, more than 6,000 signatories of a public statement, 134 former civil servants, opposition parties, and some BJP leaders who criticised the release or the welcome. Rallies were held in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata.
Why did the Supreme Court quash the remission?
On 8 January 2024 it held that only Maharashtra, where the trial took place, could decide remission. Gujarat therefore lacked jurisdiction. It also found that the May 2022 order had been obtained by suppressing facts.
Are the Bilkis Bano convicts in jail now?
All 11 surrendered at Godhra sub-jail by 21 January 2024, and no release has been reported since. Some have been given short parole by the Gujarat High Court, most recently Radheshyam Shah in September 2026.
Can the convicts get remission again?
They can apply to Maharashtra from prison. Its 2008 policy, which the Supreme Court called the applicable one, sets a 28-year minimum for murder with rape. No decision has been reported.
Sources
- PTI via Tribune: All 11 life imprisonment convicts released under Gujarat government's remission policy, 16 Aug 2022
- ThePrint: With fate of Bilkis Bano convicts in Maharashtra govt's hands, a look at state's remission policy, Jan 2024
- LiveLaw: Supreme Court sets aside remission of 11 convicts in Bilkis Bano case, 8 Jan 2024
- The Quint: 'Nothing to do with caste': BJP MLA on 'Brahmin sanskar' comment, 19 Aug 2022
- The Wire: BJP MLA who sat on panel that freed convicts says they are Brahmins with good values, Aug 2022
- National Herald: 'Good behaviour, Centre's approval': Gujarat govt to SC, 18 Oct 2022
- The Leaflet: Supreme Court set to hear petitions challenging remission on November 29, 18 Oct 2022
- ETV Bharat: 'Suitable orders' obtained from Centre for grant of remission, Gujarat govt tells SC, 17 Oct 2022
- Al Jazeera: Bilkis Bano condemns release of her convicted rapists in India, 18 Aug 2022
- Deccan Herald: Was numb for two days, says Bilkis Bano on release of rapists, 19 Aug 2022
- Scroll: 'What's wrong with garlanding relative who comes out of jail?': Top law officer in Bilkis Bano case, Aug 2023
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Over 6,000 citizens urge SC to revoke remission, 19 Aug 2022
- Scroll: 134 ex-bureaucrats urge SC to rectify 'horrendously wrong decision', 27 Aug 2022
- PTI via Business Standard: TMC's women wing protests release of 11 convicts, 26 Aug 2022
- Sabrang (NewsClick): Hundreds gather at Jantar Mantar against remission, 29 Aug 2022
- The Quint: Protests in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai against release of convicts, 27 Aug 2022
- Deccan Herald: Gujarat police 'foil' protest march planned to show solidarity with Bilkis Bano, 26 Sept 2022
- The Wire: Gujarat Police detain activists ahead of foot march for Bilkis Bano, Sept 2022
- The News Minute: Release of Bilkis Bano's rapists an insult to humankind, says BJP leader Khushbu, 24 Aug 2022
- PTI via Business Standard: Wrong, unjust to felicitate accused in Bilkis Bano case: Fadnavis, 23 Aug 2022
- Supreme Court Observer: Early release of Bilkis Bano gangrape convicts (case page), accessed Oct 2026
- BOOM: 'Convict played fraud': Bilkis Bano challenges release of 11 convicts in SC, 30 Nov 2022
- Tribune: Supreme Court quashes premature release of 11 Bilkis Bano case convicts by Gujarat, 9 Jan 2024
- LiveLaw: Supreme Court dismisses convicts' plea to extend time to surrender, 19 Jan 2024
- Scroll: Bilkis Bano case: 11 convicts surrender at Godhra sub-jail, 22 Jan 2024
- Tribune: All 11 convicts surrender at Godhra sub-jail, 22 Jan 2024
- Scroll: Gujarat asks SC to review Bilkis Bano case verdict, Feb 2024
- ETV Bharat: SC junks Gujarat government's plea seeking review in Bilkis Bano case, 26 Sept 2024
- PTI via Tribune: 'Absolutely misconceived': SC dismisses plea of two convicts against January 8 verdict, 19 July 2024
- India TV/PTI: Bilkis Bano case convict out on 5-day parole, 9 Feb 2024
- Madhyamam: Gujarat HC grants 7-day parole to convict Radheshyam Shah, 19 Sept 2026