Govt to recommend to Prez to pardon murder-convict lawmaker

KIRAN PUN

KATHMANDU, Nov 8: The government on Tuesday decided to recommend to President Dr Ram Baran Yadav to grant amnesty to Maoist lawmaker Bal Krishna Dhungel, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life by the Supreme Court.

A cabinet meeting on Tuesday also decided to propose Maoist politburo member Ram (Suresh) Karki as the ambassador to India, Dr Mahesh Maskey to China and Dhananjaya Jha to UAE.

The meeting also principally agreed for the construction of the President’s Residence and gave re-approval to sign the agreement on curbing double trade taxation with India.

Maoist lawmaker Dhungel is slapped life sentence by the Supreme Court in 2010 for his involvement in the murder of Ujjan Shrestha of Okhaldhunga. Shrestha was shot dead by the Maoists at Tarkerabari-7, Okhaldhunga on June 24, 1998, allegedly for spying on the Maoists.

Dhungel, who won the Constituent Assembly (CA) election from Okhaldhunga-2 in 2008, is still walking free as the court verdict has not been enforced. However, the UCPN (Maoist) has been trying to secure amnesty for Dhungel ever since the SC verdict.

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Attorney General Mukti Pradhan had met President on Sunday in an attempt to grant amnesty to Dhungel without cabinet decision.

The president, as per the Article 151 of the interim constitution, may grant pardons and reprieves to any individual convicted by a court on the recommendation of the cabinet.
On October 3, the cabinet had received a proposal from the home ministry to grant amnesty to Dhungel.

Karki, a close aide to the PM, was nominated as the ambassador by the government led by Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal but was dropped after Dahal resigned. He was also nominated by the Maoists as ambassador to India but was turned down by New Delhi.

Maskey is a medical doctor by profession and a leftist intellectual.


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