KATHMANDU, May 16: The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the decision of the High Court Dipayal to sentence Resham Chaudhary, the mastermind of Tikapur carnage, to life imprisonment.

A division bench of SC justices Dr Anand Mohan Bhattarai and Nahkul Subedi decided that Chaudhary will be sentenced to life imprisonment.

Chaudhary was the mastermind of the Tikapur (Kailali) carnage that erupted on August 17, 2015. The agitating Tharu activists had brutally killed eight people including Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lakshman Neupane, who was the head of the then Seti Zone at the time, five members of the Nepal Police, two members of the Armed Police Force and one infant in the ensuing clash with police. Chaudhary is currently serving a life sentence.

In March 2019, Kailali District Court handed down a life sentence to 11 people including Chaudhary in connection with the incident. The decision was also upheld by the High Court.

Chaudhary then appealed to the SC against the decision of the High Court. He is currently in the Dillibazar jail in Kathmandu. 

The case was scheduled for regular hearing on Monday. After the trial of the case was not completed by a division bench of justices, it was continued even on Tuesday.

Laxman Chaudhary, who was sentenced to three years in prison by the District Court in this case, was also sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court Dipayal. The SC has decided that he will not be sentenced to life imprisonment and the decision of the district court will be upheld. In this case, the government has not appealed against the decision of the High Court.

 
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