The Janakpur High Court has sentenced six people, including former House of Representatives member Laxmi Mahato Koiri and suspended Madhesh Provincial Assembly member Abhiram Sharma, to five years in prison in connection with the death of Armed Police Force Assistant Sub-inspector (ASI) Thaman BK.
A joint bench of Acting Chief Judge Tek Narayan Kunwar and Judge Murari Babu Shrestha handed down the verdict, sentencing former lawmaker Mahato, suspended provincial assembly member Sharma, Dharmendra Ray, Ram Shankar Mishra, Suresh Pandey, and Pawan Kapar to five years' imprisonment each.
In the same case, the court sentenced Pradeep Sah Majhi, Sanjay Kumar Sah, and Mohan Thakur to life imprisonment under the homicide provisions of the then Muluki Ain (National Civil Code), the court's information officer Ganesh Pandey said.
On December 14, 2023, the Mahottari District Court had sentenced the three men to life imprisonment while acquitting former lawmaker Mahato and Kapar.
According to Pandey, the high court upheld the life sentences for Majhi, Sah, and Thakur, finding the district court's ruling to be appropriate.
The high court ruling states that the death of ASI BK was a case of homicide. It noted that a complaint had been filed against the three men sentenced to life imprisonment, that they had confessed to the crime during the investigation, and that ambulance driver Sushil Mishra and witnesses Pappu Kumar Sah, Siyaram Paswan, and Raj Kumar Jha had provided statements to investigating officers confirming their involvement while the victim was being transported for medical treatment.
The court said in its verdict that photographs taken at the scene also show that defendant Sanjay Kumar Sah had attacked BK.
Regarding former lawmaker Mahato, suspended provincial lawmaker Sharma, Dharmendra Ray, Ram Shankar Mishra, Suresh Pandey, and Pawan Kapar, the court said that there was no objective evidence of them directly attacking BK. However, it ruled that they were found to have been involved in the killing based on the incriminating statements provided by the defendants sentenced to life imprisonment and were therefore guilty under Section 17(2) of the homicide chapter of the then Muluki Ain.
ASI BK died after being beaten by protesters on September 11, 2015, while he was deployed in Mahottari during the Madhesh Movement.
