KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has sentenced Govinda Bahadur Batala to 10 years in prison in the Ramhari Shrestha murder case involving a businessman from Koteshwor.
A division bench comprising Justices Dr. Nahakul Subedi, Abdul Aziz Musalman, and Shanti Singh Thapa delivered the verdict during a review hearing, overturning an earlier ruling that had sentenced Batala to three years in prison.
With the revised decision, the court increased the punishment to 10 years following a review petition against the previous verdict issued by a joint bench of the Supreme Court.
The case has now been revised through the review process, resulting in a longer prison term for Batala.
According to the case details, businessman Ramhari Shrestha was taken from Kathmandu on Baisakh 15, 2065 BS and brought to the Maoist combatant cantonment in Shaktikhor, Chitwan. He died after being severely beaten, and his body was later found in the Narayani River on Baisakh 28, 2065 BS.
The case was revived after 15 years, leading to further legal proceedings and arrests, including that of former Maoist commander Kali Bahadur Karki.
Shrestha was known to have links with Maoist-affiliated business circles. His Koteshwor residence had reportedly been used as a contact office by the Maoist Third Division in Shaktikhor during the post-conflict period.
The prosecution alleged that following a reported theft of Rs 1.7 million and a pistol from the office in Chaitra 14, 2064 BS, Batala and others, including Keshav Adhikari, Gangaram Thapa, and Arjun Karki, took Shrestha to Chitwan, where he was killed.
Comment