SC issues show cause to Prez secretariat, Govt; Rigal’s amnesty case to be taken up on priority

Kathmandu, 05 Oct: The Supreme Court has issued show cause to the government including the President’s secretariat returnable on October 11, in the presidential amnesty granted to Rigal alias Yograj Dhakal on the occasion of the constitution day two weeks ago.

A single bench of justice Manoj Sharma issued the notice returnable on October 11 with express orders that the case be heard till its final settlement regularly from October 13 by a full bench, which among other things, will also go into rights and scope of the government to annul punishments awarded to the criminals.

He further ordered that the case ‘shall not be postponed in any pretext, and in case October 13 turned out to be a public holiday, it shall be taken up the day following.’ Justice Sharma also asked the Attorney General with full documents and files from the first noting to the final orders on the amnesty issue.

Manandhar’s wife Bharati Sherpa has filed a petition seeking annulment of the presidential amnesty and Rigal’s return to jail.

President Poudel had granted amnesty to altogether 670 criminals including murder convict ‘Rigal’ alias Yograj Dhakal who had served forty per cent of ten years imprisonment awarded to him in 2020.

Rigal had killed a local citizen Chetan Manandhar in Nepalgunj with lethal weapons eight years ago. He was subsequently arrested, tried and convicted by the Court four years ago.

This is, however, not the first case that the President and the government have annulled sentences awarded to the murder convicts.

Rigal was a member of the Tarun Dal (Youth Front) of the Nepali Congress which is the biggest constituent of the coalition government led by Maoist Chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, or predecessor governments.

Yesterday, Bharati fainted in the Supreme Court premises where she had gone for listing her case as early as possible. She was rushed to the hospital and released afterward. Back from hospital, she announced that she would continue with her legal battle and also begin an indefinite fast for justice.

Justice Sharma has instructed the government to provide full security to Bharati and her family members till the hearing continues.