KATHMANDU, Dec 17: A draft of the new police bill has been prepared, incorporating a provision to stop pension payments for retired police personnel if they are convicted of certain offenses.
The existing Police Act, 2012, and Police Regulations, 2014, do not address the suspension of pensions. As a result, retired personnel continued to receive their pensions even when found guilty by the court.
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Previously, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had written to the Pension Management Office, requesting that pensions be withheld from those convicted of corruption. Following this, the pension of former IGP Om Bikram Rana, who was convicted in the Sudan APC scam, was halted.
Rana had lodged an appeal against the decision at the Supreme Court. The bench of Justices Kumar Chudal and Abdul Aziz Musalman issued an interim order, instructing that the pension not be stopped. However, the draft of the new police bill, which is being prepared to replace existing laws and regulations, includes a provision to stop pensions for those convicted of specific offenses.
The draft bill proposes that pensions can be stopped if an individual is convicted of any of five offenses, including involvement in terrorist activities, armed rebellion, breaching the organization's confidentiality, or engaging in activities that harm the interests of the police organization.
The bill states, "Any former police personnel who have received any form of pension for their service to Nepal Police, if convicted by the court for involvement in terrorist activities, armed rebellion, armed conflict, or for publishing any matter that breaches the organization's confidentiality or engages in activities against the Nepal Police organization, the Government of Nepal may suspend the pension received by such former police personnel."
