SC orders govt to make progress on probe public

KATHMANDU, Sept 3: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday has ordered the government to make public the progress on investigation into the murder of Krishna Prasad Adhikari.



A single bench of Justice Prakash Wasti issued the interim order against the government after the hearing on a writ petition filed by advocate Ram Raj Shiwaoti. SC has also asked the government to persuade Adhikari´s father Nanda Prasad and mother Ganga Maya, who have been staging hunger strike for the last 43 days demanding investigation into their son´s murder, to break their hunger strike“ "If they refuse, force feed them to save their live”," reads the order issued by Justice Wasti.[break]



However, SC has expressed displeasure with the office of the prime minister for not taking effective and meaningful steps to safeguard lives of Adhikari couple. The apex court has also ordered the defendants to furnish clarification in writing within 15 days as to why no step was taken to end Adhikari couple´s hunger strike.



Shiwakoti on Sunday had filed the writ petition seeing SC order for safeguarding the lives of Adhikari couple.

The petitioner has claimed that the government has ignored Article 12 of the interim constitution that has ensured citizen´s right to live with dignity. Adhikari couple has been admitted to intensive care unit of Bir Hospital for more than two weeks now after their health deteriorated. Their son Krishna Prasad Adhikari had died at the hands of Maoists during the insurgency.



Shiwakoti has maintained that the present government has not taken any concrete action to safeguard the lives of Adhikari couple apart from urging them to end their hunger strike.



The writ petitioner has argued that there should be judicial interference as the hunger strike of Adhikari couple has been prolonging because of government indifference.

Though various rights activists and political leaders have repeatedly urged the Adhikari couple to end their hunger strike, they have refused to relent until justice is done.



Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi and his office, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Office of the Attorney General, police headquarters and the Ministry of Health and Population, among others, have been named as defendants in the writ petition.

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