The two judges—Khusi Prasad Tharu and Arjun Maharjan—who acquitted former Nepali Congress lawmaker Mohammad Aftab Alam in a murder case have been summoned by the Judicial Council.

In a meeting held on Thursday, the council decided to relieve them of their current responsibilities and bring them under review.

The Council had formed a one-member investigation committee comprising Supreme Court justice Binod Sharma.

Alam had been accused of orchestrating a deadly bomb-making operation at his residence in Rajpur Farhadawa, Rautahat, on the eve of the first Constituent Assembly elections in 2008.

At the time, he was a candidate and allegedly aimed to use the explosives to capture booths. However, the bomb exploded prematurely, injuring many.

The injured were reportedly burned alive by being thrown into a brick kiln furnace to destroy evidence. The Rautahat district court later convicted Alam and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

However, on May 28, a division bench of the Janakpur high court’s Birgunj bench, led by Judges Tharu and Maharjan, overturned that verdict and acquitted him of all charges.