Rautahat, April 6

Janakpur High Court’s Birgunj bench today handed down life imprisonment to Mayor Siyaram Kushawaha of Katahariya Municipality of Rautahat for his involvement in the murder of Kashi Tiwari of Birgunj.

The high court sentenced Kushawaha, aka Firoj, life in prison overruling the Bara District Court’s previous verdict to acquit him of Tiwari’s murder. Tiwari was the chairperson of Vishwo Hindu Yuba Sangh, Birgunj. Kushawaha is a CPN-Maoist Centre leader.

Although the high court delivered its verdict on the case on March 12, it was made public today. “Though he has been sentenced to life, he will only serve 15 years in jail,” said registrar at the high court Baburam Dahal.