Kanchanpur District Court is to file a case again on the murder of journalist Prakash Thakuri from Mahendranagar, a far western district of Nepal, after the Supreme Court (SC) issued a mandamus to this regard.
The SC had said in the mandamus on February 23, 2011 that the crimes committed after the Comprehensive Peace Accord could not be let off in the name of political case.
Record keeper at the Kanchanpur District Court, Dilip Raj Pant said they were filing the case again soon. He added that the entire proceeding documents of the case sent by the SC have been received here.
The case filed by victim's wife Janaki Thakuri at the District Police Office Kanchanpur on November 9, 2007, claiming that cadres of UCPN-Maoist had abducted her husband from their rented apartment at Bhasi, Mahendranagar was withdrawn by then government led by UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on October 28, 2009, dubbing the case of political nature.
Janaki had lodged a complaint after the husband was disappeared from Kanchanpur since July 5, 2007, claiming that the Maoist cadres-Pomlal Sharma, Jagat Kshetry, Chandrakanta Bhatta and four others were involved in his abduction and disappearance.
After the government withdrew the case saying it was of political nature, Federation of Nepali Journalists, and Advocacy Forum had filed the writ petition in the Supreme Court making defendants to the Kanchanpur District Court, Home Ministry, Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, and the Office of the Kanchanpur District Attorney two years back.
Though late, the SC order to file the case again in the district court against the abductors of journalist Prakash Thakuri will help fizzle out the pessimism of Janaki to get justice. Freedom Forum lauds the SC order and the Kanchanpur District Court's preparation to file the case against the abductors.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022