KATHMANDU: CPN-UML lawmaker Rekha Sharma, a member of the Lumbini Provincial Assembly, has been released following a court order.
A bench of Judge Jagat Poudel at the District Court, Kathmandu, on Sunday ruled that Sharma should not be kept in custody. The court stated that there was no basis for re-arrest in a case where the government had already decided not to prosecute.
The Office of the Attorney General had earlier decided not to file charges against Sharma, citing a lack of objective and conclusive evidence. The court also noted that the alleged victim is continuing her education and that Sharma has been acting as a guardian, based on submitted documents.
Despite the earlier decision, the case was reopened after the government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah ordered a fresh investigation. However, the court clarified that any further investigation must proceed without keeping Sharma in custody.
Sharma had been arrested last week from her residence in Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu, by the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office on allegations of abusing a minor domestic worker.
She was accused of employing a girl as a domestic worker for six years and subjecting her to physical abuse. The victim was rescued by Kathmandu Metropolitan City after her condition reportedly deteriorated.
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