KATHMANDU: The Patan High Court has slated to hear the petition of former minister Bal Krishna Khand, currently in custody pending trial for the fake Bhutanese refugee case, on December 14.

Earlier, during a division bench session on December 1, Judges Prakash Kharel and Janak Pandey decided to refer the dispute to a third judge for further hearing as the Judges duo failed to reach consensus on their decision in Khand’s case.

Judge Pandey annulled the Kathmandu district court’s order to imprison him and proposed his release on a bail of Rs 3 million, while Judge Kharel opposed the bail.

According to Patan High Court’s spokesperson, Tirtharaj Bhattarai, considering the inconclusive opinions of the two judges in ex-minister Khand’s case, it has been decided to hear it before a single bench on December 14.

The court upheld the Kathmandu District Court’s decision to send nine defendants to prison in the mentioned dispute while revoking the custody order for six defendants and instructing bail.