KATHMANDU: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has determined that the amnesty granted to Yograj Dhakal ‘Regal’, a murder convict, is in violation of both the law and the principles outlined in the Constitution.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Friday, Commission Chairman Tap Bahadur Magar expressed concerns that Regal’s release contradicts the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure and the fundamental principles of human rights.
The Civil Criminal Procedure Code, 2074, clearly states that cases involving premeditated murder cannot be withdrawn. However, the NHRC has uncovered that the government pardoned Regal, who was implicated in the killing of Chetan Manandhar in Nepalgunj, on Constitution Day.
District Court Banke’s judgment on April 24, 2018, explicitly mentions that Regal killed Manandhar without allowing him to escape, using his foot as the weapon. Furthermore, the High Court Tulsipur, Nepalgunj bench, in its appeal decision dated February 11, 2020, affirmed that the incident was premeditated and aimed at silencing opposition to the activities of the Regal group, as evident from the attached documents.
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