Shrestha informed Justice Bam that the former would not assign him any cases from next week. [break]
A meeting of the Judicial Council (JC) has decided to implement the committee report. "We have decided to implement the report", Chief Justice Ram Prasad Shrestha told Republica.
"I did not receive any good report about you from the probe committee. So I won´t assign you a bench from next week, on moral grounds," a source quoted CJ Shrestha as telling Justice Bam.
According to the source, Justice Bam has been indirectly advised to resign rather than face impeachment by parliament. The JC cannot take any action against a permanent SC justice. Bam, who was found taking controversial decisions to release murderers and kidnappers on very low bail, is a permanent SC justice.
The probe committee headed by SC Justice Bala Ram KC had submitted its report to the JC on Thursday, concluding that the three incumbent judges including Bam were found releasing on a low bail culprits who were arrested many times for serious crimes.
The KC-led committee concluded that Justice Bam, Biratnagar Appellate Court Judge Hari Bahadur Basnet and Hetauda Appellate Court Judge Tej Bahadur Karki had released notorious offenders on many occasions.
Sanjay Shrestha, Rohit Paliwan Agrawal and Bhimsen Pandit, who were repeatedly arrested on kidnap and murder charges, were freed on bail under controversial orders issued by the three judges at different times.
Shrestha, Agrawal and Pandit have also been accused of kidnapping Dr Bhaktaman Shrestha a few months ago.
One of the JC members informed Republica that the council will first ask Justice Bam to resign from his post.
"Though we did not take any decision, we have tentatively agreed that the JC should first ask Bam to resign from his post to avoid impeachment by parliament," the source added.
The source also said that the JC would recommend to parliament to take action against Bam if he does not resign at the earliest.
"CJ is likely to not assign him any cases from Sunday onwards," the source said, adding, "either he should resign from his post or be ready to face impeachment by parliament."
According to the source, the KC-led committee has recommended to the JC to sack judges Basnet and Karki for their rulings releasing notorious offenders.
"Evidence shows that the judges released the culprits, overruling the decisions of quasi-judicial bodies that had convicted them," reads the committee report submitted to the JC, adding: "The judges should have upheld the sentences instead of releasing them on such low bail."
The JC had initiated investigations against Justices Bam, Basnet and Karki following the arrest of Shrestha, Agrawal and Pandit on the charge of kidnapping Dr Shrestha. The three have claimed that they had bribed the judges many times in the past.
Police have filed cases against the three on many occasions on charges of murder and kidnap in different parts of the country. But they were freed on bail every time.
Based on the initial evidence, the JC suspended Judge Karki two months ago.
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