• Office of the Attorney General will decide whether or not to file charge sheet against Mahara

Kathmandu, October 25

Even though Parliament Secretariat staffer Roshani Shahi retracted her accusation of attempt to rape against former speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Kathmandu Police submitted its investigation report to Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office, concluding that Mahara attempted to rape her.

A source at Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range told THT that police had submitted enough evidence to corroborate the attempt to rape accusation made in the first information report.

The source further said that the evidence police gathered in the case, countered Shahi’s retraction. “We have submitted enough evidence to prove attempt to rape case against Mahara,” the source said.

Shahi lodged an FIR accusing Mahara of attempting to rape her but later filed an application at Kathmandu District Court retracting her statement. This was the second time she retracted her statement. A day after www.hamrakura.com reported that Shahi had accused Mahara of raping her, she retracted her statement saying the report was false and Mahara was innocent. A few days after her retraction, she filed an FIR accusing Mahara of attempt to rape.

Retraction of the victim’s statement won’t make any difference if police find enough evidence to file a case against the accused.

The police source said although Mahara denied going to the victim’s house on September 29 when the alleged incident took place, CCTV footage and other evidences corroborated the claims in the FIR.

“CCTV footage shows Mahara had gone to the victim’s house on the night of the incident,” the source added.

“We have taken permission from KDC to carry out Mahara’s DNA test and if necessary we will do so,” the source said.

Police said they had collected a broken piece of Mahara’s spectacles. Shahi had first said Mahara had beaten her when she resisted him.

Joint Attorney at Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office Chandra Kanta Khanal said the police investigation report was being studied and his office would decide whether or not to file a charge sheet against Mahara. District Attorney offices can decide not to file charge sheet if they do not find evidence corroborating the FIR. Khanal said if his office decided to file a case against Mahara, it would file a charge sheet against him on October 31 when the courts open after Tihar festival.

If convicted, Mahara could face jail term and some additional punishment as he was the speaker at the time of the alleged incident and the accuser a parliamentary staffer.