KATHMANDU: Former DIG of the Armed Police Force Ranjan Koirala has been remanded in custody after the Supreme Court overturned a decision to reduce his imprisonment sentence in a case related to his wife’s murder.
According to SSP Basanta Kunwar of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, Koirala is sent to the Sundhara-based Central Jail.
Koirala, who was released after his sentence was reduced, had absconded after the Supreme Court overturned the verdict last Thursday. The next day, on Friday, the Criminal Investigation Office arrested him from Baneshwor.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court reversed Koirala’s decision and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the case of going on duty as per the decision of the Kathmandu District Court.
Following the registration of the impeachment, the Supreme Court reversed the controversial decision of the bench including the suspended Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana.
The Supreme Court on Thursday reversed the decision of the bench, including Rana, to reduce Koirala’s 20-year life sentence to eight-and-a-half years by releasing him on the charge of murdering his wife.
With Thursday’s verdict, Koirala will now face up to 20 years in prison. He was released after serving eight and a half years in prison. He now faces up to 11 and a half years in prison.
A bench of suspended Chief Justices Rana and Tej Bahadur KC had passed the verdict on June 29, 2020, giving a waiver of 11 years and six months. The verdict was publicly criticized and impeachment was sought against the adjudicating judge.
The government had registered the appeal on June 26, 2020, after the verdict was disputed.
Stating that they could not agree with Rana’s argument, the apex court had ordered a retrial. In the petition, a full bench of acting Chief Justices Deepak Kumar Karki, Tanka Bahadur Moktan, and Kumar Chudal on Thursday overturned the verdict and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
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