KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court (SC) hearing on notorious brick-kiln mass-murder in Rautahat allegedly directed by former Minister and Nepali Congress lawmaker Mohammad Aftab Alam has been affected as the case has been enlisted as ‘not to be heard’ for Friday.
According to SC sources, a division bench comprising justice Hari Krishna Karki and Prakash Kumar Dhungana was scheduled to hear on the case.
Alam, who was sent to jail by the Rautahat District Court on charges of smuggling of explosives and inciting and executing murder, had filed a petition at the apex court demanding that he should be released on bail.
Alam had even approached the high court after the district court initially ordered him to be remanded in custody. Alam had filed a petition in the Birgunj High Court on 13th January, 2020 against the decision of the district court.
However, the High Court had consented the District Court’s verdict and had ordered to send him to jail for trial on February 7, 2020. A joint bench of Birgunj High Court judges Dilliraj Acharya and Satya Mohan Joshi had ordered the district to send Alam to jail. Earlier, the district court of Rautahat had ordered to send him to jail for trial on November 15, 2019. Alam had reached the Supreme Court on September 28, 2020 against the order.
Arguing that he has not committed any crime, Alam has been demanding he should be released on bail.
Earlier, Alam’s case has been scheduled 18 times but no hearing has been held so far.
Alam’s petition to the apex court is only for the purpose of detention order. His case of explosives, duty killing and killing industry is pending in Rautahat District Court. The District Public Prosecutor’s Office, Rautahat, had filed a case against Alam demanding 45 years imprisonment.
Alam was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing local youths Trilok Pratap Singh and Oshi Akhtar, 10 years for killing Safi Ahmed in Sarlahi and 10 years for explosives and another 45 years for explosives.
A bomb had exploded at Rajpur in Rautahat on the evening of March 10, 2008, the day before the first Constituent Assembly election. It is claimed that at least nine people were killed in the blast. The indictment states that Alam used his brother’s barn to plant bombs in various places to intimidate his rivals and local voters. However, Alam was accused of injuring Trilok Pratap Singh, Oshi Akhtar and others due to negligence while making the bomb and later burning them alive in the furnace.
The public prosecutor claimed that Alam was the main culprit because he had planned all these crimes.
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