Former speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara who was acquitted by the Kathmandu District Court in the attempt to rape case on Monday will not attend House meeting until the court writes to the House. The House of Representatives (HoR) meeting is scheduled for later Tuesday.
The court has yet to prepare the verdict on Mahara's case. His suspended status of lawmaker will be reinstated only if the court writes to the House when the verdict is not ready.
"We will notify that his suspension has been lifted during the HoR meeting if we receive the court verdict or letter," HoR Secretary Gopal Nath Yogi told Setopati. "We will put up notice if the House is not running."
The court had issued the acquittal letter to the Dillibazar Jail on Monday despite not preparing the verdict and Mahara was released on the basis of that letter. The court can send similar letter to the parliament secretariat when the verdict is not ready.
Mahara had resigned from the post of speaker after the allegations but had not resigned as lawmaker despite party instruction to resign from both. He was suspended as lawmaker when the case was sub judice.
He will now get to sit in the front row of the House in capacity of former speaker.
The bench of Justice Ambar Raj Paudel at the Kathmandu District Court acquitted Mahara after federal parliament secretariat staffer Roshni Shahi told the court that Mahara did not come to her apartment that day. Mahara had also denied that he went to the apartment that day.
"The court deems that defendant Krishna Bahadur Mahara has to be acquitted as the complainant during the statement proves that he did not go to the apartment," Mahara's lawyer Murari Sapkota quoted the court's verdict as saying.
