PRESIDENT BEGINS QATAR STAT VISIT

PRESIDENT’S QATAR VISIT UPDATE

Kathmandu, 10 Oct.: Government gave President Dr Ram Baran Yadav a ceremonial sendoff Monday at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA)of Kathmandu as he began a four-day state visit of the Gulf emirate.
The president’s entourage has 15 members.
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SAARC MEET OF AGRICULTURE MINISTERS POSTPONED

Kathmandu, 10 Oct.: A meeting of SAARC agriculture ministers that was to be held in Dhaka Tuesday has been postponed.at the request of Pakistan an Maldives which is hosting a regional summit later this year.
Agriculture Minister Nanda Kishore Dutta was preparing to attend the ministerial meet.
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WORM-LIKE CREATURE FOUND IN REAL JUICE PACKET

Kathmandu, 10 Oct.: A worm-like creature has been found inside a packet of Real Juice purchased from a retail shop at the Bus Park in Bharatpur, RSS reports from Chitwan.

A local Gokul Khanal said the worm was found inside the packet of the fruit drink that he bought from local Ansu Retail Shop.

The consumers immediately informed the media after they saw the worm in the juice while drinking it.

The insect has been found in the packet of Real Juice at a time when monitoring of consumer goods is being intensified in the District in the recent days.

Local consumers have demanded taking action against the companies producing such unwholesome drinks. Before this also various inedible substances were found in the packets of Real Juice.
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CDO AUTHORITY CURBS ON ANVIL

Move follows apex court directive
Kathmandu, 10 Oct.: The government will be amending legal provisions to curb the punitive authority of the Chief District Officer (CDO), District Forest Officer (DFO) and other quasi-judicial bodies in compliance with a recent Supreme Court directive, The Himalayan Times reports.

“Groundwork is under way to form a panel to recommend amendments as per the Supreme Court order,” Trilochan Upreti, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers said.

According to Upreti, the government will be nominating panel members comprising legal and administrative experts and a bureaucrat to review the laws.

The Supreme Court had, on September 22, directed the government to review the punitive authority of all quasi-judicial authorities conferred by existing laws in the light of the modern justice system.

In accordance with the Arms and Ammunition Act, Public Offence Act and Forest Act, CDOs and DFOs have been slapping jail terms of up to 20 years on persons convicted of various charges.

A three-member special bench of Justices Kalyan Shrestha, Girish Chandra Lal and Sushila Karki had issued the order.

The bench said there was urgent need to match the judicial power of CDOs with the constitution and internationally accepted principles of human rights.

“Terms of reference will be given to the panel to carry out a study in its six-month tenure,” Upreti said adding, “The government will select CDOs with legal background and provide training on judgment writing to those who do not have such an appropriate orientation.”

Stating that immediately revoking the judicial authority of CDOs may create a vacuum, the bench told the authorities — Prime Minister’s Office and Parliamentary Secretariat — to review the legal provision and gradually remove such authorities from CDOs.

Stating that having in place an alternative arrangement to the CDO’s authority could take up much time, the apex court directed authorities to provide such power to those officials with law degrees or who have obtained judicial training.

Challenging the judicial power being exercised by quasi-judicial authorities, advocate Ambar Raut had filed a writ two years ago. He had accused bureaucrats with misusing judicial powers due to lack of judicial knowledge and orientation.
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