'Casting doubt on neutrality of judiciary in a presser not right'
KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 10
The Nepal Bar Association issued a press release today condemning the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority's recent remarks against the Special Court, accusing the court of not weighing evidence properly in cases filed by it.
Stung by the allegation that the CIAA doesn't investigate corruption cases thoroughly before moving the Special Court, leading to low conviction rate, the anti-graft body organised a press conference on November 8 to drive home the point that the Special Court has not been weighing evidence properly in corruption cases.
The NBA said the CIAA tried to give the impression that the Special Court was not competent to interpret laws and such accusations were levelled against the court to secure verdicts in its favour.
"There can be no dispute that corruption should be rooted out but if a constitutional body empowered with the right to prosecute, instead of resorting to legal avenues to seek justice, organises a press conference to cast doubt on the competency and neutrality of the judiciary, then that cannot be deemed right," the NBA said in its press release.
The NBA warned all constitutional bodies not to say anything against the rule of law and independence of judiciary.
Stating that neutrality and independence of judiciary were the reasons people had faith in the judiciary, the lawyers' umbrella body said it was always in favour of independence of judiciary.
In the current fiscal year, out of 163 corruption and abuse of authority cases that the Special Court adjudicated, it delivered acquittal verdict in 140 cases.
Last year, out of 148 cases that the Special Court decided, the CIAA had secured conviction only in 38.81 per cent cases.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 11, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
