The government has registered amendment in the Criminal Code 2017 to withdraw cases of Nagarik Unmukti Party leader Resham Chaudhary, and leaders and cadres of CK Raut-led Janamat Party and Netra Bikram Chand’s party.
The government has registered a proposal to amend section 116(1) of the Criminal Code 2017 adding a sub-section (a) to facilitate withdrawal of cases.
“No case once filed in the court on any offense under Schedule-1 or Schedule- 2 shall be capable of being withdrawn,” states the section 116(1).
The added amendment states that there will be no obstruction on withdrawal of any case against leaders and cadres of political parties or groups sub judice in any level of court if there is political agreement by the government to withdraw the cases irrespective of what is mentioned in the section 116(1).
Section 116(2) states that cases of grave offense including that of forged passport or citizenship, immigration, corruption, human trafficking and transportation, smuggling and transaction of narcotic drugs, poaching of, and illicit trade in, wildlife, adulteration of goods of public consumption with poison, murder by administrating poison, in a cruel or inhumane way or by taking control, money laundering, or ancient monuments protection cannot be withdrawn.
The amendment proposal registered by the government allows withdrawal of cases of even such offenses committed by leaders and cadres of political parties or groups.
Nagaraik Unmukti Party led by Chaudhary’s wife Ranjeeta Shrestha has long been demanding release of the main accused of the Tikapur incident in which eight police personnel including an SSP of Nepal Police and a toddler were lynched on August 24, 2015.
The Kailali District Court had slapped life sentence on Chaudhary over the Tikapur incident and the Dipayal High Court endorsed the life sentence. The case is currently sub judice at the Supreme Court (SC).
The parties of Raut and Chand have also been repeatedly demanding withdrawal of cases lodged against their leaders and cadres.
