Earlier, the district court of Bardiya had released Khan, whose real name is Rahis Khan, on a bail of Rs 25,000. However, after public prosecutors challenged the district court´s decision to release Khan on bail, the appellate court of Nepalgunj sent him into judicial custody. Public prosecutors had claimed that Khan cannot be released on bail since he is an Indian national, implying that he, if released on bail, could flee to India. Although the appellate court decided to send Khan into judicial custody on May 12, he was arrested by police only a couple of days ago. Khan, after being released on bail, was roaming around in Gulariya itself. [break]
Bidya Prasad Khanal, Khan´s advocate, said that his client, after being sent into judicial custody, would request the Supreme Court (SC) not to discriminate him just for being a foreign national. Khanal also claimed that his client is innocent and is hopeful of walking a free man very soon.
Apart from Khan, the police had also arrested Siba´s mother Hasina Hasmi and elder brother Rihan Ahamad Hasmi in connection with the murder. Hasina and Rihan are also in judicial custody. Bardiya´ district court judge Dhan Singh Mahara had sent them into judicial custody while releasing Khan on bail.
Shortly after Siba´s murder, the police had arrested Khan on the charge of burning her alive after she refused to elope with him. However, after the locals claimed that Siba was in love with Khan and her own family members burnt her because they were against their affair, the police also arrested Hasina and Rihan.
A few days later, the locals had also made public an audio tape on which 19-year-old Siba asked Khan, 23, to take her away and marry her, anticipating that her family members might cause harm to them.
Siba, a resident of Gulariya Municipality-8 in Bardiya district, who was burnt alive on 7 December 2012, had breathed her last on 12 December at Bir Hospital in Kathmandu. The incident which took place while the country was organizing 16 Days Activism against Gender Violence had sparked protests across the country. Women right activists had launched nationwide protests to bring Siba´s murderers to book.
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