Kathmandu, February 16

Kathmandu District Court today postponed verdict in the attempt-to-rape case involving former speaker of House of Representatives Krishna Bahadur Mahara, citing time constraint.

The court is most likely to issue verdict in the case tomorrow.

Kathmandu District Court had sent Mahara to judicial custody on November 4.

He was arrested by Kathmandu police after Roshani Shahi, a staffer at the Parliament Secretariat filed an FIR last October 4, accusing him of attempting to rape her on the night of September-29, in her rented room at Tinkune.

Senior advocates Lava Mainali, Sabita Bhandari Baral, Raman Kumar Shrestha, also a former attorney general, along with advocates Bhimarjun Aacharya, Din Mani Pokheral, Sushil Sapkota and Murari Sapkota pleaded on behalf of Mahara.

Mahara had earlier filed a petition at Patan High Court on Novem ber 21, challenging the Kathmandu District Court’s decision to send him to judicial custody. The high court upheld the KDC’s decision in its ruling on December 19.

Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office had filed case against Mahara seeking sevenand-half-years jail sentence — five years for attempt to rape and two-and-half-years for committing the crime by misusing the power of office.

Mahara was arrested on October 6 in response to the FIR filed by Shahi.

She later had turned hostile by telling various media that Mahara was innocent and he had not visited her room on the day of the alleged incident.

She had also filed a separate petition at the court stating that the police had coerced her to file the FIR against Mahara.

The high court also ordered Kathmandu District Court to adjudicate the case against Mahara within one month after completing all court proceedings, including the process to record statements of witnesses and the victim.