The constitutional bench of Supreme Court (SC) has listed the murder case against Speaker Agni Sapkota as one it has no time to see. Hearing for the case was scheduled for Friday by the bench of five senior justices including Chief Justice (CJ) Cholendra Shumsher Rana.
The case was earlier scheduled for hearing on March 13 but the bench had cited lack of time even then. The SC was then shut down during the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sapkota has been accused of abduction and murder of chairman of the management committee of Sri Krishna Secondary School of Tapcha, Kavre Arjun Bahadur Lama during the Maoist insurgency.
Lama was murdered after abduction on April 29, 2005. His body was recovered two months later from Budhakhani in Kavre where he was buried.
Lama's wife Purni Maya Lama had filed a case with the District Administration Office identifying Sapkota and Surya Man Dong, who later became state minister, of being involved in her husband's murder.
The police had sent the complaint to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Purni Maya had then moved the SC against the police's decision.
The constitutional bench of SC on July 10, 2019 had sought copy of the complaint filed with the TRC regarding the case.
The SC is also overseeing the case of contempt of court registered on June 20, 2011, and the writ petition filed by human rights activist Sushil Pyakurel on April 8, 2016 pointing that the court's mandamus has not been implemented along with the murder case filed by Purni Maya against Sapkota.
The SC on July 10, 2019 had started to hear these petitions together with the murder case.
Human rights institutions had also moved the SC demanding revocation of Sapkota's appointment as minister in the Baburam Bhattarai Cabinet.
The SC hearing the petition had pointed that an interim order need not be issued to stop appointment in public position merely due to filing of a complaint, and issued a mandamus ordering initiation of investigation and asking the court be informed about that.
