Chitwan, August 5

District Court Chitwan on Sunday re-issued a summon to plaintiff Noor Prasad Adhikari, who had filed an FIR against the alleged murderers of his brother Krishna Prasad of Gorkha, Fujel, during the Maoist insurgency.

Staff Gehendraj Pant of the court said that a single bench of Chief Judge Kul Prasad Sharma had issued the summon as the court had completed hearings of lawyers and advocates on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants.

Earlier, judge Sharma had issued the order to summon Noor Prasad on February 25. According to Pant, Noor Prasad will be summoned to the court on August 20.

Today, district attorney Parmeswor Parajuli on behalf of the government and senior advocate Baburam Giri and advocate Indra Aryal on behalf of the plaintiff took part in hearing. Likewise, senior advocates Dharmaraj Acharya, Mukti Pradahn and Raman Shrestha and advocate Dinmani Pokhrel had participated in the hearing on behalf of the defendants.

Late Krishna Prasad Adhikari of Fujel, Gorkha, was allegedly murdered on 6 June  2004 by cadres of then CPN-Maoist when he had gone to visit his grandparents in Ratnanagar, Chitwan. The deceased’s brother Noor Prasad and father Nanda Prasad had filed a case with police.

After one-and-a-half years, Noor Prasad had registered an FIR holding 13 individuals responsible for his brother’s killing at District Police Office, Chitwan.

As the investigation was pending for long, Krishna Prasad’s parents Nanda Prasad and Ganga Maya staged a fast-unto-death.

In the wake of their hunger strike, Chitwan Police initiated investigation into the case from July 2013. While Nanda Prasad and Ganga Maya’s hunger strike was on, a murder case was lodged against the 13 accused at District Court Chitwan on 13 April, 2014. Later, Nanda Prasad passed away when he was on a fast-unto-death at Bir Hospital on 22 September 2014.

Life imprisonment was sought in the case against all 13 defendants. The court, however, had freed two persons for lack of evidences.

After the preliminary diktat, the accused had presented themselves before the court and recorded their statements at different times. Of them, some were released on general date while others on bail. One of the accused, Rudra Acharya, has gone abroad.

Since the case reached the Supreme Court through then appellate court against the diktat of Chitwan Court, an order was issued to keep the accused Chhabilal Paudel in custody. In line with the same order, Paudel presented himself before the Supreme Court almost a month ago. On the same day, the apex court sent Paudel to Dillibazaar prison.

A murder case has been filed against Sita Adhikari, Chhabilal Paudel, Ram Prasad Adhikari, Parsuram Paudel, Himlal Adhikari, Meghnath Paudel, Bishnu Tiwari, Rudra Acharya, Kali Prasda Adhikari, Bhismaraj Paudel, Ram Prasad Adhikari, Januka Paudel and Subhadra Tiwari at Chitwan court.

Though the provision has it that the final verdict has to be issued within two years after filing the case, this case has been pending for more than four years.

Nanda Prasad died in the course of his hunger strike. His final rites, however, are yet to be performed.

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