In a significant update to the long-drawn Bilkis Bano gang rape and murder case, the Gujarat High Court has granted ten days of parole to Ramesh Chandana, one of the eleven convicts. This decision, made by Justice Divyesh Joshi, came after Chandana's surrender to the authorities in Godhra nearly a month ago. The parole has been allowed to enable Chandana to attend his nephew's wedding, subject to his furnishing a bail bond of ₹5,000 and following standard jail terms and conditions.

This development marks the second instance of parole being granted to a convict in this case within a short span, with another convict, Pradipbhai Ramamlal Modiya, having been released earlier in the month on a five-day parole due to a family bereavement.

The case stems from the horrifying events of the 2002 Gujarat riots, where Bilkis Bano was gang-raped and several of her family members were killed. The convicts had been released in August 2023 after the Gujarat government granted them remission, citing a Supreme Court judgment from May 2022. However, this remission was later contested and overturned in January by Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, who ruled that the Gujarat government did not have the authority to grant remission in this case, especially as the convict seeking remission had concealed significant facts.

The recent directive for the convicts to surrender and Chandana's subsequent parole highlight the ongoing legal battles and complexities surrounding this case. Bilkis Bano's plight and her relentless quest for justice have made her a symbol of resistance against gender-based violence and communal strife. The case continues to evoke widespread attention and debate over justice, remission policies, and victims' rights in the face of heinous crimes.

As the legal proceedings unfold, the grant of parole to Chandana reiterates the nuanced challenges within the legal system, balancing between the rights of convicts and the quest for justice in cases of grave injustices.