Apex court objects to CPDCC’s suggestion

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court on Wednesday objected to the Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee’s suggestion to form a Parliamentary panel to investigate the performance of the Chief Justice and judges saying it was against constitutionalism, theory of separation of power and basic principles of independent judiciary. A meeting of the SC full court held under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Ram Kumar Prasad Shah also decided to inform the CA Chair and chiefs of CPDCC and Constitution Drafting Committee that any provision that could make the judiciary a subordinate body of Parliament would not be acceptable to the judiciary, states a release issued by Assistant Spokesperson of SC Baburam Dahal. On Monday, Nepal Bar Association had also opposed the CPDCC’s suggestion to form a Parliamentary committee to investigate the performance of judges.

Traffickers nabbed

JHAPA: Police in Jhapa busted members of a human trafficking ring involved in smuggling girls from quake-hit areas to India and third countries. Sandip Budhathoki, 34, of Urlabari and Mina Ghatani Rajbanshi of Jhapa, were arrested from Birtamod of Jhapa today. They were about to take 18-year-old Pramila KC of Sano Shree VDC, Bardiya, to India. Police, acting on a tip off, successfully rescued Pramila. She was brought to Mina’s house in Jhapa about a week ago. Police said the arrestees will be charged with human trafficking. Just one day before, Harka Tamang of Snalu VDC in Ramechhap was held in a similar case. After police came to know about Tamang’s plan to smuggle five girls to Kyrgyzstan through India, they had raided a hotel in Dhulabari and arrested him. The five girls from Ramechhap, Sindhupalchowk, Nawalparasi and Sunsari were also rescued. A week ago also, police had arrested two women from Jalthal, Jhapa for trafficking girls. Maiti Nepal office in Kakadbhitta said 219 women, meant to be smuggled out of the country were rescued in the past five months this fiscal.