Kathmandu, August 10

The Criminal Code Bill passed by the Parliament yesterday provisions imprisonment till death for anyone involved in taking or attempting to take the life of the president of Nepal. The law will come into effect from mid-August, 2018.

Section 58 of the bill says, “No one shall take or attempt to take the life of the president of Nepal. Any person convicted of such offences shall be liable to jail imprisonment till death.”

The bill also has a provision of jail-term of up to 15 years and a fine not exceeding Rs 150,000 for any person involved in abduction of or attack on the president in any form whatsoever. There is no time limit for filing a complaint against these offences.

Similarly, the bill criminalises threats issued to the president or the Parliament with intent to prevent them from performing the tasks under the constitution and the laws in force or to compel them to perform task through any means.

“Any person convicted of such offences shall be handed down a jail sentence of up to seven years or a fine of up to Rs 70,000 or both,” the bill states. It states that a complaint with respect to such offences shall be lodged within two years.

Separately, the bill has imposed a ban on the use of minors in begging. Minor means a child below the age of 14. Any one found guilty of using children for begging in public place on under the pretext of performing song and dance or circus tricks shall be sentenced to one year in jail, along with a fine of Rs 10,000 in the first instance.

“Such offender shall be liable to a jail sentence of up to three years or a fine of up to Rs 30,000 each time from the second instance,” it states.

However, this bill shall not be applicable in the case of sadhus and saints who beg as per their culture and tradition. Thousands of children have been forced to be beg by their own families or human traffickers. According to various reports, children are maimed to elicit greater sympathy and get more alms.