Kathmandu, December 24

The Special Court today convicted seven forest officers and 20 office bearers of different community forest users’ committees of Banke in an illegal logging case.

According to Registrar of SC Bhadrakali Pokharel, of the 29 defendants two office bearers of the community forest users’ committees - Mina Khadka and Yubraj Khadka were acquitted.

Shyam Prasad Sharma and Bishwanath Prasad Mahato, who were district forest officers in Banke, were slapped with three- and six-month jail sentence, respectively.

Assistant District Forest Officers Amar Prasad Sah, Mahantha Prasad Pandit and Bhim Prasad Paudel were handed three-, four-and two-month jail sentences, respectively.

Two other Assistant District Forest Officers, Krishna Ballav Karna and Bal Krishna Patel, were sentenced to one-and-a-half months and one month, respectively.

According to Pokharel, 20 office bearers of the community forest users’ committee in Banke were slapped a jail sentence of one month.

The verdict was delivered by a joint bench of Mohan Raman Bhattarai, Bhupendra Prasad Rai and Mahesh Prasad Pudasaini.