• Posts Rs 4 lakh bail in case of destroying evidence, Rs 6 lakh in case of torture

Dhangadi, March 24

Kanchanpur District Court today released sacked superintendent of police Dilliraj Bista, accused of destroying evidence and torture while investigating the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta of Bhimdatta Municipality, on bail.

Court staffer Hari Krishna Awasthi said Bista was freed after he posted bail amount of Rs 1 million — Rs 4 lakh in the case of destroying evidence and Rs 6 lakh in the case of torture.

Bista had surrendered before the district court on Tuesday. The court heard the case till Friday, recording Bista’s statement in the torture case on Tuesday and the case of destroying evidence on Wednesday. It did not issue the bail order on Friday due to paucity of time.

A case had been lodged against eight police officials, including the sacked SP and Central Investigation Bureau Deputy Superintendent of Police Angur GC on the charge of torturing Dilip Bista and destroying evidence while investigating the rape and murder of Nirmala Panta. The court had ordered the police to arrest Bista and Angur GC and present them before the court on 14 February 2019. However, DSP Angur GC is at large.

Six other police personnel arrested in the case were released on bail earlier this month — DSP Gyan Bahadur Sethi and Inspector Ekendra Khadka after they posted a bail amount of Rs 9 lakh each, Inspector Jagadish Bhatta for Rs 4 lakh, sub-inspectors Hari Singh Dhami and Ram Singh Dhami for Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively, and Constable Chandani Saud after she furnished bail of Rs 2 lakh.

On December 18, Nirmala Panta’s mother Durga Devi had filed an FIR against the eight cops, accusing them of destroying evidence in the case of her daughter’s rape and murder.

Acting on the FIR, the Office of District Attorney moved the court on March 7 against the eight accused, charging them with evidence-tampering, illegal detention and torture while probing the rape and murder of Nirmala, who was killed on July 26.

Police had presented Dilip Singh Bista as the main suspect in the case. Dilip’s elder brother Khadga Bista filed a case against four cops, including sacked SP Bista, for torturing his brother in police custody.

All the released cops will have to be present themselves at the court when called.  A single bench of district Judge Dr Rajendra Kumar Acharya granted bail to Bista.

District Attorney Devraj Bharati and Joint District Attorney Mohan Joshi argued on behalf of the plaintiff, while advocate Krishna Dev Joshi represented the defendant.