DHANGADHI: Dipayal High Court upheld the District Court’s verdict on Resham Chaudhary in connection with the Tikapur incident on Thursday.

The High Court sentenced eight persons including lawmaker Resham Lal Chaudhary to life for their involvement in Tikapur carnage.

Lawmaker Chaudhary had moved the high court after Kailali district court slapped him with life imprisonment.

After the hearing on Thursday, the high court added punishment to other accused who were either issued lighter sentences or released on bail by the Kailali District Court in an earlier verdict. Among them, some have already completed their sentence.

A joint bench of justices Tek Narayan Kunwar and Sita Ram Mandal, after a whole day of hearing on Thursday, seconded the verdict of the district court on Resham Chaudhary, informed Rajendra Luitel, Spokesperson of Dipayal High Court

According to Luitel, the court handed down a life sentence to seven persons -- Resham Chaudhary, Hari Narayan Chaudhary, Pradip Chaudhary, Bir Bahadur Chaudhary, Rajesh Chaudhary, Sitaram Chaudhary, Gangaram Chaudhary -- among the 11 persons who were issued life sentence by Kalali court.

Meanwhile another accused, Laxman Tharu was also issued life imprisonment by the high court. He was released from the prison after fulfilling his three-year prison sentence received from district court.

As per the decision, they will now have to complete a total of 20-years in prison counting from the time of their arrest.

Kalali District Court had issued life imprisonment to 11 people two years ago, among which seven sentences were upheld by the high court.

Similarly, the high court also sentenced 10-years of imprisonment to three persons – Santosh Chaudhary, Jit Bahadur Chaudhary and Dil Bahadur Chaudhary-- who were sentenced to three years of prison by Kailali district court and had already completed their sentences.

Likewise, the high court also upheld the district court’s decision to sentence Shrawan Kumar Chaudhary to 10-years of imprisonment.

The High Court also added the sentences to Sundarlal Kathriya, Brijmohan Chaudhary, Rajesh Chaudhary, Raj Kumar Kathriya, Ram Prasad Chaudhary, Kishan Lal Chaudhary and Prem Bahadur Chaudhary. They will have to complete additional two years of sentences to the three-year prison ordered by Kailali district court, informed spokesperson Luitel.

Meanwhile, the high court upheld the decision of district court regarding Chunniram Chaudhary, Lahuram Chaudhary and Ram Kumar Kathariya.

They were sentenced to three years of imprisonment and have already been released upon completing their sentence. It also upheld the district court’s decision to release Karan Chaudhary due to him being minor.

However, one of the accused Bishram Chaudhary has been acquitted of all charges by the high court.

The crowd demanding a Tharuhat Province in Tikapur of Kailali on August 17, 2017, had murdered eight police personnel including one senior superintendent of Police, Laxman Neupane, and a toddler.

Police had filed a case against 58 persons in connection with the incident. Among them, 27 persons have been arrested while others are absconding.

Kailali district court has acquitted three persons arrested on the charge while 12 were sentenced to three years of imprisonment.

Feature image: File