The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled on smuggling of 33 kilograms of gold and murder of Sanam Shakya.
A joint bench of Justices Anil Kumar Sinha and Sushmalata Mathema has ordered release of Mahabir Prasad Golyan on bail of Rs 1 million and endorsed the Biratnagar High Court verdict on 30 others. The Biratnagar High Court had sent Golyan to judicial custody.
DSP Sanjay Raut and SSP Shyam Bahadur Khatri have been sent to jail as ordered by the Biratnagar High Court.
The SC has also endorsed the Biratnagar High Court's order to release former DIG Govinda Prasad Niraula, SSP Bikash Khanal, SSP Divesh Lohani, DSP Prajit KC, and Sub-inspector Bal Krishna Sanjel on date.
The Biratnagar High Court verdicts on other defendants Rajan Thapa, Tularam Tharu, Hemanta Gautam, Sambir Tolange, Madan Silwal, Bal Krishna Shrestha, Gopal Shrestha, Amar Man Dangol, Madan Prasad Ghimire, Raj Kumar Daruka, Lakpa Sherpa, Rajendra Kumar Shakya, Bimal Poddar, Saiyad Akbar Shah, Imtiaz Uddin, Prabhat Agrawal, Punya Lama, Raju Maharjan, Chhiring Ghale, RPP leader Bhujung Gurung, Birendra Man Shrestha and Kapil Raj Puri have also been endorsed.
The issue of 33 kilograms of gold smuggled through the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on January 23, 2018 came to the fore after the body of Shakya of Urlabari, who died while being tortured on charge of stealing that gold, was recovered in Biratnagar on March 2 last year.
The probe committee formed by the government had concluded that the gang smuggled 3,799.559 kilograms of gold in the preceding five years.
The District Attorney Office, Morang had filed complaint against 63 persons including nine serving and former police personnel with claims of Rs 17.018 billion in the case.
The Morang District Court had ordered those accused to be sent to judicial custody. Some of those appealed with the Biratnagar High Court which released some on bail, some on date and sent others to judicial custody.
The government and some defendants moved the SC against the Biratnagar High Court verdicts.
