KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court (SC) is going to deliver its decision on Thursday in the case against Yog Bahadur Dhakal alias Regal, who got amnesty from the President on Constitution Day.
SC Spokesperson of the Supreme Court, Bhadrakali Pokharel, informed that the full bench comprising Chief Justice Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada, Sapana Pradhan Malla, and Dr. Kumar Chudal has assigned (Thursday) as the day to pronounce the decision.
“The debate on both sides is over. The bench has fixed tomorrow as the day to pronounce the decision,” he said.
Regal, who was serving a prison sentence for the murder of Chetan Manandhar, was granted amnesty by President Ram Chandra Paudel at the recommendation of the government.
Chetan Manandhar’s wife Bharati Manandhar Sherpa filed a writ in the Supreme Court on October 9 against that decision.
29-year-old Chetan Manandhar of Nepalgunj-8 was attacked with a stick near Dhambozhi Chowk on July 23, 2015. Regal was absconding after Manandhar’s death.
Regal, accused of killing Manandhar, went to the court and surrendered after two months in September.
He was then sent to jail pending trial.
District Court Banke convicted Regal in the murder of Manandhar in April 2019 and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Concluding that they were involved in the murder of Manandhar, the court also sentenced 12 other people to 3 years to 10 years depending on the crime.
The then District Court Judge Bishnu Subedi’s bench had sentenced Sohan Singh Dhakal, a member of Regal’s group, to 10 years in prison.
Madhav Nepali, Biraj Pathak, Hari Oli, Manish Chaulagain, Pritam Thapa, Yam Bahadur Budha Magar, and Keshav Bahadur Rokaya of Regal’s group were each sentenced to 3 years imprisonment.
Similarly, Premdhwaj Khatri alias Prashant Gautam, Chabilal Basnet alias Vishal, Navraj Khatri, and Mohanlal Khadka were all sentenced to life imprisonment.
Regal was released after serving about 50 percent of his sentence.
Along with the opposition, the leaders of the ruling party and the civil society also protested against murder convict Regal’s release.
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