The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday has released secessionist CK Raut, who has been campaigning for Free Madhesh, on date.
A joint bench of Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana and Justice Purushottam Bhandari hearing the petition filed by Raut against the order of Rautahat District Court on December 6, 2018 to send him to jail has ordered he be released on date.
"No evidence of crime by him seems to have been found. That the applicant committed the alleged offense is also not evident," the SC order states. "Do investigate the case keeping CK Raut on date as the case will be later decided in accordance to the evidence gathered."
Raut had moved the Birgunj bench of the Janakpur High Court against the decision but the court endorsed the Rautahat District Court's order. He then moved the Apex Court.
Raut was last arrested on October 7, 2018 by Rautahat Police on charge of organized offense against the state and filed a sedition case in the court. The habeas corpus petition filed by his family with the Rautahat District Court was dismissed.
The family then moved the Supreme Court (SC) seeking his release. A joint bench of Justices Deepak Raj Joshi and Bam Kumar Shrestha at the SC on Monday dismissed the petition filed by Jaya Kanta Raut on October 29.
Raut has previously been arrested on several occasions on charge of sedition and subsequently been released by the court citing lack of evidence.
