KATHMANDU: CPN (Maoist Centre) spokesperson Agni Prasad Sapkota has said he will make an official statement on the conflict-era case filed against him only after receiving the full text of the Supreme Court’s recent verdict.
Speaking to the media on Thursday following the party’s office-bearers meeting held at Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s residence in Khumaltar, Sapkota said, “I will share my official position only after the full text of the verdict is released. The public rumors surrounding this matter hold no truth.”
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench issued a writ of mandamus allowing the resumption of police investigation into the murder of Arjun Lama of Kavre during Nepal’s armed conflict.
Sapkota, a former Speaker of the House and a vice-chairperson of the Maoist Centre, is one of the accused in the case.
The case was originally filed by Arjun Lama’s wife, Purnimaya Lama, after local police and administration refused to register her complaint.
Following this, she approached the Supreme Court, which ordered the authorities to register the case and begin investigation. Based on that order, Kavre District Police had also issued an arrest warrant against Sapkota.
However, on July 27, 2012, the Baburam Bhattarai-led government decided to shelve the case (put in abeyance), instructing relevant authorities not to pursue legal action against Sapkota and other accused.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Regional Administration Office in Hetauda followed up with directives to halt the investigation process.
Purnimaya Lama subsequently filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court on November 22, 2012, challenging the government’s decision to suspend the investigation and demanding it be nullified.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court bench—comprising Chief Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha and Justices Prakashman Singh Raut, Sapana Pradhan Malla, Prakash Kumar Dhungana, and Kumar Regmi—issued an order in Purnimaya Lama’s favor, paving the way for renewed investigation.
The Supreme Court also invalidated the past decisions of the Bhattarai-led cabinet and official correspondences from the Home Ministry and Hetauda Regional Administration, restoring the legal path for full investigation into the murder case.
Sapkota has reiterated that the court’s full decision will guide his response, dismissing ongoing public commentary as unfounded speculation.
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