Top leaders of the Maoist parties, including UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya, CPN (Maoist) Coordinator Matrika Yadav, Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) General Secretary Mani Thapa, and CPN-Unified (Ekikrit) leader Sitaram Tamang took part in the protests. However, CPN Maoist General Secretary Netra Bikram Chand did not take part in the protest.
Dahal had led the rally organized in the capital.
Leaders of the Maoist parties have warned that they would not be obliged to abide by the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) if the SC verdict is not reviewed.
The verdict of the SC on February 26 stated that cases that are sub-judice at various courts cannot be transferred to commissions formed to oversee war-era cases of human rights violations and annulled two controversial provisions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission on Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances (CIED) Act that gave discretionary powers to the transitional justice mechanisms to provide amnesty for war era crimes.
Taking strong exception to the SC verdict, former rebel parties have united against it. "The process to forge unity between the Maoist parties is under way," said UCPN (Maoist) General Secretary Krishna Bahadur Mahara.
Meanwhile, CPN-Maoist Secretary Dev Gurung accused the government and the judiciary of trying to criminalize political cases. "The SC verdict aims to undermine the Maoist movement and criminalize political cases," said Gurung. CPN (Maoist) leader Yadav, CPN Maoist leader Santosh Budha, CPN Unified leader Tamang also addressed the protest rally at Shantibatika.
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