One of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case, who was released early and granted remission by the Gujarat government, was booked for 'outraging the modesty' of another woman on 19 June 2020 while he was out on parole, the state government's affidavit before the Supreme Court has revealed.
Mitesh Chimanlal Bhatt (57) was booked under Sections 354, 504, 506 (2) of the IPC in June 2020 by Randhikpur police and a chargesheet was filed in the case. By 25 May, Bhatt had "enjoyed 954 parole, furlough leaves" in the Bilkis Bano case.
Even after the FIR was registered in 2020, he was out of prison for 281 days.
This information, which was sent to the District Magistrate Dahod by the district superintendent of police when the government was considering the proposal to release the convicts, was accessed by The Quint as part of the annexures in the government's affidavit.