The Janakpur High Court has acquitted Ram Bahadur Bomjon in a child sexual abuse case.
A joint bench of Justices Khemraj Bhatta and Narishwar Bhandari acquitted Bomjon overturning the Sarlahi District Court's verdict.
The full text of the verdict has also been made public.
On March 19, the bench of Justices Bhatta and Bhandari acquitted Ram Bahadur Bomjon, along with Gyan Bahadur and Dig Bahadur Bomjon.
Following the acquittal, Bomjon has been released from Sindhupalchowk Prison.
"A letter of the Janakpur High Court’s verdict was received that night. We released him the next morning on March 20," said Niraj Ram Danai, acting chief of Sindhupalchowk Prison.
Bomjon ran an ashram in Sindhupalchowk.
On October 10, 2019, Gangamaya Tamang of Rautahat filed a complaint against Bomjon, alleging that he raped her while she was staying at the ashram.
The case was filed under the statute of limitations of the Act Related to Children, which allows a victim to file a complaint of sexual abuse or rape that occurred during their childhood after turning 18.
Gangamaya filed the complaint after turning 18, as per this legal provision.
She alleged that Bomjon raped her on August 4, 2016. Following her complaint, the police opened an investigation.
Based on the police investigation report, the District Government Attorney's Office filed a case against Bomjon, demanding 12 to 14 years of imprisonment for him and appropriate compensation to the victim.
Similarly, it demanded prison sentences for two other individuals.
On July 1, 2024, the Sarlahi District Court sentenced Bomjon to 10 years in prison and also fined him Rs 500,000, while acquitting Dig Bahadur and Gyan Bahadur.
Dissatisfied with the district court's decision, the government attorney's office appealed to the high court, demanding imprisonment and fines for all three as per the original claims.
Bomjan also filed a writ petition in the high court seeking acquittal.
Both parties filed appeals in October 2024.
The high court deemed the the case defective from the beginning.
The court annulled the district court's order, ruling that it convicted the defendant based on an investigation and charges stemming from a complaint without a statute of limitations.
""The convicted appellant Ram Lal Bomjon alias Ram Bahadur Bomjon is also acquitted of the alleged offense. The claims of the plaintiff, the Government of Nepal, cannot be sustained," says the verdict.
