The Supreme Court has endorsed the court administration’s decision to not register a petition demanding prosecution of CPN-UML lawmaker and former minister of Koshi province Lila Ballabh Adhikari.
A bench of Justice Kumar Chudal on Sunday endorsed the court administration’s decision to not register the petition brought by advocate Dinesh Tripathi.
On December 1, Tripathi had moved the apex court challenging the decision of the District Government Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu, to not prosecute Adhikari over his recent Japan visit. But the court’s registrar refused to register the petition.
On November 25, the Government Attorney's Office decided not to prosecute Adhikari but filed a case against 11 others at the Kathmandu District Court. Adhikari was released from custody later the same day.
On October 27, four people including Adhikari, who was then minister for internal affairs and law of Koshi province, had left for Japan to participate in the week-long International Conference on Open Access to Culture 2024.
Japan’s immigration authorities had deported the other three – Janak Rai, Dawa Sherpa, and Kanchan Devkota – who had traveled to Japan with Adhikari.
Organizing a press conference on November 6, Adhikari resigned as minister for internal affairs and law of Koshi province. The incident came to light after his resignation. Police arrested Adhikari and brought him to Kathmandu on November 10.
District Police Range, Kathmandu, had investigated nine people including him on charges of human trafficking and document forgery.
According to District Attorney Sitaram Aryal, spokesperson for the Government Attorney's Office, Kathmandu, lawmaker Adhikari was not found involved in the incident. He was instead found to have informed the immigration authorities himself after reaching Japan.
Similarly, lawmaker Adhikari was found to have messaged deputy inspectors general (DIGs) of Nepal Police after he found out upon reaching Japan that he had been used, Aryal said.
