The Dipayal High Court has summoned defendants in the writ petition filed by Nagarik Unmukti Party lawmaker Arun Kumar Chaudhary who has been sent to jail in an arson case.
The bench of Judge Arjun Prasad Koirala conducting a hearing in the petition has summoned the defendants on February 12 to listen to arguments of both the sides, according to Communication Officer with the Dipayal High Court Nara Bahadur Negi.
Chaudhary has moved the Dipayal High Court against the Kailali District Court, Kailali District Attorney’s Office and Kailali Police claiming that he was not given a chance for hearing and was not even notified of the case, and demanding that he be allowed to again defend the charges levied against him.
The Dipayal High Court has also asked the defendants to furnish written response as to why it should not issue an interim order as demanded by Chaudhary.
On April 22, 2013, a bench of the then district judge Bishnu Subedi at Kailali District Court had sentenced Arun Chaudhary, Parshuram Chaudhary and Bir Bahadur Chaudhary to six months in prison. The court had also ordered them to pay Rs 819,423.
The arson case dates back to August 19, 2008.
Lawmaker Chaudhary and others had thrashed Sajan Chaudhary and also set fire to the tractor (Lu 2 Ta 211) he was driving when he was returning with stones from Goranga Khola at Chisapani that day.
The tractor belonged to Mahadev Bajgain, who would be elected mayor of Lamki Chuha Municipality in 2017. A case was filed against lawmaker Chaudhary and others based on Bajgain’s complaint.
Chaudhary was found to be on the police’s wanted list after another accused appeared in court almost two weeks ago. He was subsequently arrested on Thursday.
