The plea sought a direction to the Centre for premature release and clarify which judgement of its coordinate benches of May 13, 2022, or January 8, 2024, would apply to them.

The review plea filed by Ramesh Rupabhai Chandana said the top court erred while passing the impugned order and overruling judgement dated May 13, 2022, passed by another bench of the apex court.

Ramesh Chandana, who moved the High Court for parole last week, is the second convict in the case to be granted parole after all 11 convicts in the case surrendered at a jail in Godhra town on January 21 following a Supreme Court order.

Rameshbhai Chandana approached the high court with a plea to be released on parole to attend his niece’s wedding. Chandana and 10 others were sent back to jail last month after the Supreme Court struck down the remission granted to them by the Gujarat government.

The 11 convicts are Bakabhai Vohania, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Govind Nai, Jaswant Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, Pradeep Mordhiya, Radheshyam Shah, Rajubhai Soni, Ramesh Chandana and Shailesh Bhatt.

A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said the reasons cited by the convicts have no merits.

Convicts of the Bilkis Bano has moved the apex court to appeal for more time to surrenders, citing reasons, which include failing health, impending surgery, son’s marriage, harvesting ripe crops and others.