KATHMANDU, Aug 14: The House of Representatives (HoR) has passed the much-awaited Bill on Transitional Justice (TJ), which seeks to amend the Commission for Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons and Truth and Reconciliation (Third Amendment) Bill, 2081 BS. 

The Bill, presented by Minister of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya, marks a significant step forward in Nepal’s ongoing efforts to address the transitional justice issues that remain unresolved even 18 years after signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA). 

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli emphasized the government's commitment to enacting the Bill into law within the next ten days. Following its passage in the lower house of the federal parliament, the Bill will now move to the National Assembly. 

Once approved by the National Assembly, which is the upper house of the federal parliament, it will be certified by the Speaker before being sent to the President for final assent. Upon receiving the President's approval, the Bill will finally become law.

The government initially registered the bill in the House of Representatives on March 9, 2023. Before it was passed by the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives, the top leaders of the three major political parties—Nepali Congress, UML, and Maoist Center—reached an agreement on the previously contentious issues within the bill.