Kathmandu, November 13: The Supreme Court of Nepal has ordered the Government and the President not to take any action in the Murder case of Lawmaker Bal Krishna Dhungel until November 21 when the court is scheduled to decide whether to stay with or without the controversial recommendation. On Sunday the legal body with the growing pressure from the public and other national and international organization issued a statement ordering the president and the government not to act on the government recommendation to pardon Maoist lawmaker Bal Krishna Dhungel, a murder convict. The Supreme Court’s single bench of Justice Tahir Ali Ansari had convicted Dhungel for the first degree murder in 2010 with property attachment for the murder of Ujjan Shrestha in 2004.
The government of Nepal had recommended the pardon on political grounds where the Ujjan Shrestha case study shows no political affiliation with the case. Despite the huge protest from the public, national and international human rights groups, the Government of Nepal is still silent about the issue.
In a recent public statement issue by Prachand, the Maoist supremo and a lawmaker, “The case of Bal Krishna is the case that was lobbied during the time of Madhav Kumar Nepal’s Government, but due to unavoidable circumstances it was neglected and currently the political parties are making an issue out of it which is completely irrelevant.”
In reply to this statement, Madhav Kumar Nepal Former Prime minister and a leader of the UML party said, “ We had not decide anything like this in fact the way Maoist leader are pulling the case seems very unpractical. If anyone is proven guilty then he or she must be brought by the book. Law of rule is equal to all if not then why do we need judicial system.”
The withheld situation came in action in midst of a deadlock situation of direct confrontation of the legal body and government of Nepal. With high controversies and protest from people, the President of Nepal was seen hesitant about the issue. For this, the court has ordered the lawyers of both sides to be present before the court November 21.
