KATHMANDU, July 26: A hearing on a review petition filed by the Office of the Attorney General against the Supreme Court's decision to reduce jail term of former Deputy Inspector General of the Armed Police Force Ranjan Koirala is taking place on Sunday.
Kathmandu District Court and Lalitpur High Court sentenced life imprisonment on Koirala along with confiscation of his property for killing his wife Gita Dhakal. However, the apex court reversed the verdicts, waiving 11 years of his prison term.
Koirala, who was convicted for brutally killing his wife Geeta Dhakal in January 2012, was released earlier Thursday, completing an eight and a-half-year jail sentence as determined by the apex court.
A division bench of Chief Justice Rana and Justice KC on June 29 determined the sentence, reducing the life imprisonment imposed by the Kathmandu District Court and later upheld by the Patan High Court. Challenging the release of former APF DIG Koirala, the government on Thursday filed the review petition at the apex court.
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Citing Section 188 of the previous Muluki Ain and Section 17(1) of the existing Sentence Determination and Execution Act, 2017, the apex court stated that the objective to punish Koirala had already been met and that there was no need to put him in jail any longer as he needed to give guardianship to his sons following the death of their mother Geeta.
Once permission is granted for review, a joint bench of three or more than three justices will hear the case. In its petition, the OAG has stated that the verdict violated the principle of justice laid down in various similar cases in the past.
The OAG filed the review petition, citing Section 11 of the Justice Administration Act, 2017 on the ground that the verdict had violated the already set precedents in similar cases. A review petition can be registered if any verdict is found violating the already set precedents or any new evidence is found after the pronouncement of any judgment by the apex court.
Koirala had ruthlessly killed his wife Geeta at her residence in Maharajgunj and burnt the dead body in Tistung of Makawanpur district.
His girlfriend Tara Regmi had welcomed him and took him to the house immediately after his release from Dillibazar prison. She also claimed that they had already got married.
