PM BHATTARAI,CHAIRMAN PRACHANDA FLYING TO CANTONMENTS TO PACIFY DISSATISFIED PLA FORMER FIGHTERS

PM, CHAIRMAN PRACHAND VISITING CAMP IN ROLPA

Kathmandu, 30 Nov.: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattatarai and Chairman Prachand are visiting camps in Rolpa to satisfy dissatisfied former combatants in the district, J Pandey and an Kashi Ram Gangi report in Kantipur from the district.
They are also proceeding to Kailali Talband and Shaktikhor from Rolpa.
nnnn

MEDIA GOOGLE

“The prim minister has taken clarification after many genuine complaints were lodged against the irrigation minister [ Yadav]. The prime minister has become serious after dozens of engineers came from irrigation with statistics.”

(PM’s Secretary Lilamani Pokhrel, Nagarik, 30 Nov.)
nnnn
INDIA BEGINS PROCESS TO WITHDRAW CHARGES AGAINST MAOISTS LODGED IN BIHAR JAILS
Kathmandu, 30 Nov.; Responding to a request from the Nepal government, the government of India has formally started the process of withdrawing criminal cases against 11 Maoist leaders pending in a district court in Bihar state since 2004, The Kathmandu Post reports from New Delhi.
India's Home Ministry has recently dispatched a letter to the Bihar government requesting it to go ahead with the withdrawal of those cases by taking into consideration the changed political scenario in Nepal and the friendly relations between the two countries.
High-level officials at the Home Ministry and security agencies of Bihar, privy to these developments, confirmed such a request from New Delhi. However, Indian officials in Delhi are tightlipped on the issue.
"In view of the friendly relations with Nepal, it is requested that the state (Bihar) government may initiate necessary steps under Section 321 of the CrPc [India's Criminal Procedure Code] to withdraw from prosecution the criminal cases registered against 11 accused (Maoist leaders)," read the letter sent by Union Home Secretary RK Singh to the Chief Secretary of Bihar, Navin Kumar, on the first week of October.
Article 321 of the CrPc states that a public prosecutor in charge of a case may, with the consent of the court, at any time before the judgment is pronounced, withdraw from the prosecution of any person either generally or in respect of any one or more of the offences for which he/she is tried.
Sources said the letter also takes into consideration the facts that "the accused 11 Maoist leaders are currently members of parliament or ministers or occupying important positions in the ruling dispensation in Nepal" and "the concerns are communicated by Kathmandu at the warrants of arrest issued against them."
State government officials also confirmed the receipt of the letter, but refused to elaborate.
"Yes, we have received a formal request from New Delhi regarding the cases against the Nepali Maoist leaders," said Director General of Police (DGP) Abhayananda.
Bihar's Home Secretary Amir Subhani said, "What I can say at this stage is that the matter of withdrawal of cases is under consideration."
On September 2011, the Patna Sessions Court had re-issued non-bailable warrants against the Maoist leaders--Chitra Bahadur Shrestha, Lokendra Bista, Kul Bahadur KC, Kumar Dahal, Hit Bahadur Tamang, Anil Sharma, Dilip Maharjan, Ranju Thapa, Suman Tamang, Shyam Kishor Prasad Yadav and Min Prasad--who were arrested from different hotels of Patna in May 2004.
The leaders, who were arrested for their alleged "involvement in anti-India activities" and "conspiracy against the erstwhile regime" in Nepal, were first issued non-bailable warrants in December 2006 for failing to appear before the court after released on bail in June the same year.
The court has scheduled the next hearing on this case for December 22.
"The Bihar government can withdraw the case even before this hearing with consent of the court by rolling back the charges labelled against the Maoist leaders," a criminal defence lawyer from Patna said on condition of anonymity.
Another lawyer in New Delhi, Naresh Yadav, said, "As the case is sub-judice, the state government should comply with all legal procedures. It could drop the charges against the leaders during the upcoming hearing."
"With the respondent (Bihar government) withdrawing the charges, the court can then annul the cases against the defendants (Maoist leaders)," he added.
A few months ago, Nepal's political spectrum witnessed a hue and cry with whimsical claims of these Maoist leaders being convicted and even slapped fines by the Patna court. Ground reporting by the Post had made it clear that no such convictions were pronounced by the court, though criminal cases against them were pending.
nnnn