Submit your Article

The government has started preparations to release Resham Chaudhary. The government on Thursday registered a bill in the Parliament to free Resham Chaudhary, who is serving a life term in connection with the Tikapur carnage of August 2015. The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs registered the bill in the Parliament to amend the law to withdraw the case filed against Chaudhary, a source at the Ministry said. The government has added a point in section 116 of the Civil Code of Criminal Procedure 2074 through the bill. In which, there is a provision that the cases filed against parties, leaders and cadres, who have agreed to join the peaceful politics, can be withdrawn. Chaudhary’s case is being heard in the Supreme Court.

The Election Commission has directed 82 political parties to make public their audit report. A meeting of the poll body held on Wednesday directed 82 parties that have submitted the audit report for the fiscal year 2078/2079 within the given time to publish the report through the concerned party’s office, website, mass media (newspapers, radio, television etc), social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) within seven days and inform the Commission about it. According to sub-section (1) of Section 41 of the Act on Political Parties, 2073, there is a legal provision that political parties that are registered with the Commission must be audited by a licensed auditor within six months of the end of the fiscal year and submit the audit report to the Commission within a month. Muskan Sena Nepal Party, Shiva Sena Nepal, Aam Aadmi Party Nepal, Rastriya Janmukhi Party Loktantrik and Nepal Communist Party Loktantrik, which have not submitted the audit report for the fiscal years 2077/78 and 2078/79, have been directed to furnish clarification why they should not be taken action as per clause (a) of sub-section (5) of section 54 of the Political Parties Act, 2073.  

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli urged the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority to carry out investigations into all corruption cases. He said so while addressing the Central Committee meeting held at the party headquarters in Chyasal of Lalitpur. Chairman Oli said that the corruption watchdog should not be scared to investigate the corruption cases. He was referring to the cantonment corruption case. The former prime minister further said the people involved in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam should not be spared. Oli opined that the party would protest if attempts were made to implicate the innocent and let the guilty off. The central committee meeting began today. He said that attempts were made to implicate someone in a prejudiced manner in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam. The UML Chair said that during the meeting with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had urged not to spare those involved in the scam and not to implicate innocent people. He further said that the party suspended party secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi to help with the investigation into the scam. Saying people making Nepalis stateless and sending people to foreign land illegally are traitors, he questioned why the people arrested earlier in this scam were released. Chairman Oli said he during the Premiership of Girija Prasad Koirala had suggested resolving the problem by sending Bhutanese refugees to third countries after it was not possible to repatriate them to Bhutan. He added that he during his term as Foreign Minister had urged the then US President George W. Bush to resolve the Bhutanese refugee problem. Similarly, UML General-Secretary Shankar Pokhrel opined that the 'mission grassroots' launched with a plan to strengthen the CPN-UML as the strong national force would be reviewed. Discussion would be held on 10 different topics, including political report of Oli, report of central body, report of mission grassroots, action plan of provinces, division of work of central committee members in the meeting. The meeting would run till May 13.  

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba held a meeting with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Thursday. Deuba had reached Baluwatar to meet Prime Minister Dahal prior to the party’s office bearers meeting. Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka and Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud were present in the meeting. It has been learnt that they discussed the issue of fake Bhutanese refugee scam in the meeting. The office bearers meeting was called after Congress leader and former home minister Bal Krishna Khand was arrested in connection with the fake Bhutanese refugee scam. The office bearers meeting was also held on Wednesday. The meeting discussed whether to suspend central member Khanda from the party’s post or not. But the meeting ended without making a decision. The meeting to be held today will take the decision on the same issue. Former office bearers are also called to attend the meeting today.