High court overrules lower court’s order to release Giri on bail

Biratnagar, January 23

Biratnagar High Court has revoked the order of lower court freeing Krishna Bahadur Giri, a self-styled godman also known as Siddhababa, on bail over rape charge.

A joint bench of Chief Judge Til Prasad Shrestha and Judge Premraj Karki today overruled the order of Sunsari District Court that had allowed Giri to walk out of custody on bail.

A single bench of Judge Radhakrishna Upreti of the district court had ordered to proceed with the case by releasing the accused on bail on December 30.

Office of the government attorney had filed an appeal at the High Court against the district court’s order.

According to High Court Registrar Jitendrababu Thapaliya, the court has ordered to proceed with the trial of the case by keeping the accused in custody.

Meanwhile, the self-style godman, accused of rape, is learnt to have slipped to India.

According to sources, Giri drove to India accompanied by a few of his devotees leaving behind his personal security guard at Rani of Biratnagar this afternoon. Though Giri was said to have left his Sunsari’s Chatara-based Ashram for the High Court in the morning, he didn’t reach the court. Instead he headed towards Jogbani, the border point between Nepal and India in Morang.

“It was around1:00am when he dropped his security guard on Nepali territory and crossed over to the Indian side saying he would return in a few minutes,” said DSP Lok Darshan Regmi of Morang  District Police.

Giri’s followers claimed he had to go to India for treatment. “He has gone to Delhi for treatment upon the referral by Birat Nursing Home,” said Ramananda Acharya Sewa Pith Chairperson Ganesh Birahi.

Police had arrested Giri on December 2 and initiated investigation acting on an FIR filed by one of his followers, who claimed she was called to his Chatara-based Asharm at midnight on October 21, in the name of consecrating her by giving her some mantras and then raped.

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