Nepal's apex court orders criminal investigation against former House Speaker Agni Sapkota on war crime charge

Kathmandu [Nepal], June 4 (ANI): Nepal's Supreme Court on Wednesday issued an order to initiate criminal investigation against former House Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota on a case relating to the crime committed during the Maoist insurgency war.

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A constitutional bench of the apex court comprising five members- Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla, Kumar Regmi, Manojkumar Sharma and Kumar Chudal made the order while hearing over the case of alleged abduction and murder of Arjun Bahadur Lama in 2005 which involved Sapkota during the Maoist insurgency.

Three separate writ petitions were filed in the Supreme Court which included the one filed by Lama's wife, Purnimaya Lama, over 14 years ago. Hearing over the case had been differed for over 60 times within the period.

Wednesday's ruling marks a breakthrough in a case that has seen significant political and legal delays. Human rights activists, including Kanak Mani Dixit and Sushil Pyakurel, had also filed separate petitions questioning Sapkota's suitability for public office while the murder allegation remained unresolved.

The court's decision comes after years of stalled investigations, during which Sapkota was elected to Parliament multiple times and held key positions, including minister for information and communications in 2011 and Speaker of the House in 2020. While Dixit's petition was partially dismissed and the one by Pyakurel rejected, the court upheld Purnimaya Lama's plea, instructing law enforcement to proceed with the criminal case.

Murder accusation against Sapkota dates back to April 2005, when Lama, a 45-year-old resident of Dapcha, Kavrepalanchok, was abducted by then-CPN (Maoist) cadres during the insurgency. A National Human Rights Commission report later concluded that Lama had been killed after his abduction, implicating Maoist leaders, including Sapkota.

Despite repeated court instructions over the years, including one requiring police to provide biweekly updates, the investigation was left incomplete.

In 2012, the government even moved to halt the probe, prompting another petition from Purnimaya. The Supreme Court then ordered the authorities not to stop the investigation process.

After the case was transferred to the Constitutional Bench in 2016, the hearing was deferred over 60 times, raising concerns about judicial delays in cases involving powerful political figures.

Wednesday's order mandates that Sapkota be investigated under the criminal justice framework and that the District Police Office in Kavre carry out the probe based on the initial first information report. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)