Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, June 4:

The Supreme Court today issued orders to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate in relation to the situation of three lawyers, who have been missing after security forces arrested them some months ago. The SC order came in a response to different habeas corpus pleas filed for the release of lawyers Laxman Prasad Aryal, Sujindra Maharjan and Jitman Basnet. A joint Bench of Justices Khil Raj Regmi and Balram KC told the NHRC to submit its report to the apex court for final adjudication. The apex court told the NHRC to seek the help of the relatives of the missing lawyers in its investigation. This is the first time that the apex court has issued such instruction to the NHRC.

Earlier, the NHRC had presented its reply before the apex court a month ago as per the Supreme Court previous order after the security forces denied detaining the lawyers. “The security forces claimed that they did not arrested the lawyers,” the NHRC’s reply stated. Claiming that the lawyers had been arrested by the forces, relatives of the legal practitioners had filed different habeas corpus.