Kathmandu, January 9:

The Supreme Court today told the panel headed by Appellate Court Judge Lokendra Mallik to investigate about the whereabouts of 49 missing persons. A division bench of Justices Ram Nagina Singh and Top Bahadur Magar told the panel to investigate about 49 more cases of missing people as the panel has been investigating the whereabouts of four missing persons including Bipin Bhandari since the past few months.

Responding to the habeas corpus petitions filed by the Maoists student leaders Lekhnath Neupane, Krishna KC, Himal Sharma and Bina Magar seeking the release of the 49 persons, the bench directed the panel to investigate the cases.

According to them, the 49 missing persons, including Gyanendra Tripathi, Rajendra Thapa, Purna Paudel and Nabin Rai, were detained with them but the government is yet to make public their whereabouts.

The writ petitioners claimed that they were arrested by the security forces and were detained in army detention centres, but even after the success of Jana Andolan II the government is yet to make public their whereabouts.