Former speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara who was acquitted by the Kathmandu District Court in the attempt to rape case on Monday can now attend House meeting. His successor Agni Sapkota informed the House of Representatives (HoR) meeting on Tuesday that he has been released from jail.
He was under suspension after the attempt to rape case was lodged against him and he was denied the perks and benefits of federal lawmaker.
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. Mahara sent that very letter to the federal parliament secretariat Tuesday to get his suspension lifted.
"He was suspended as he was in jail. Now we have received the letter sent by the court mentioning that he has been released," Secretary at the parliament secretariat Bharat Gautam told Setopati.
Mahara spent 103 days in custody on charge of attempting to rape federal parliament staffer Roshni Shahi.
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.
