PRESIDENT BEGINS CONSULTATIONS ON CONTROVERSIAL GOVT. DIRECTIVE TO AMNESTY MAOIST LAWMAKER CONVICTED FOR MURDER

SHYAM SUNDAR GUPTA REINSTATED
Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: Shyam Sundar Gupta’s membership of constituent assembly (CA) was reinstated Friday on direction of the supreme court .
The reinstatement order was issued 3 November.
Gupta represents NSP which has split into several groups.
NSP (Debi) Chairperson Sarita Giri was inducted into the
cabinet this week.
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EVEREST GAS DIRECTOR ARRESTED
Kathmandu, 12 Nov>; Everest Gas Director Sitaram Timilshina
was arrested in the capital Friday by police.
He was arrested after complaints for marketing underweight
gas cylinders.
Five other directors of the gas company have also been pit on
the police blacklist.
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PRESIDENT STARTS CONSULTATIONS SUNDAY ON CONTROVERSIAL GOVT. RECOMMENDATION TO
AMNESTY MAOIST LAWMAKER CONVICTED FOR MURDER

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav will begin consultations regarding the government recommendation to the Head of the State to invoke Article 151 of the Interim Constitution to grant amnesty to murder convict Maoist lawmaker Balkrishna Dhungel, The Himalayan Times reports..

Though the Cabinet took a decision to recommend pardon to Dhungel, who has been slapped a 20-year jail term by the Supreme Court for murdering Okhaldhunga’s Ujjan Kumar Shrestha back in 1998, on Tuesday, the government officially informed the President only yesterday by sending a formal letter.

“Since it is a serious case, the Head of the State will take into account national and international practices and Supreme Court precedents and will begin legal and political consultations from Sunday,” President Dr Yadav’s press adviser Rajendra Dahal told THT.

Dr Yadav’s legal adviser Surya Dhungel said the President would make sure that he does the needful to protect the main law of the land before taking further steps and that he would also hold consultations with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, the incumbent attorney general, former attorney generals and legal experts. “Though commuting or remitting sentences is a common practice in the country, a general amnesty to a convict is not so common. The President will also consider practices existing in the country and world over before taking a decision,” said the President’s legal adviser. “The Office of the President will also see on what grounds the government made the recommendation.”

National and international human rights organisations and lawyers have also been fiercely objecting to the government move. More than two dozen former attorney generals and senior advocates are planning to plead in SC on Sunday to demand stay order against the execution of the Cabinet decision. Sabitri Shrestha, sister of deceased Shrestha, has already filed a writ petition in the apex court challenging the government decision. Nepal Bar Association, Progressive and Professional Lawyers’ Association and Democratic Lawyers’ Association have been providing legal aid to the victim’s family.

NBA President Prem Bahadur Khadka, PPLA General Secretary Hari Phuyal, DLA President Yadu Nath Khanal, human rights advocates Govinda Bandi and Tika Ram Bhattarai, senior advocates Harihar Dahal, Shyam Kharel and former attorney generals Badri Bahadur Karki, Sarbagya Ratna Tuladhar and Mahadev Yadav will plead on behalf of the victim’s family.

Oppn for withdrawing decision

Opposition parties and some fringe ones backing the Baburam Bhattarai-led coalition on Friday demanded that the government withdraw the decision to recommend amnesty to murder convict Maoist lawmaker Balkrishna Dhungel. Addressing Friday’s House session, lawmakers of the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML and other fringe parties backing the government said the move ‘may have serious ramifications’ and could even jeopardise the peace process. “The decision to grant amnesty to Dhungel will invite confrontation between the Office of President and the Supreme Court as well as the Council of Ministers and the judiciary,” said NC lawmaker Radheshyam Adhikari.
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PLAN TO REVISE VALLEY SCHOOL TIMING

Kathmandu, 12 Nov.:: Talks are under way to change the working time of private and boarding schools in the Valley to ease traffic congestion during rush hours, The
Himalayan Times reports.

A meeting of stakeholders was held in the Capital city yesterday after Metropolitan Traffic Police Division tabled a proposal to this effect.

PABSON and N-PABSAN, the organisations of private and boarding schools, Higher Secondary Schools Association of Nepal and Guardian Association of Nepal reacted positively to MTPD proposal.

DIG Ganesh Raj Rai, MTPD in-charge, said the stakeholders expressed commitment to reach an agreement on amending school operating hours.

“We have proposed that all schoolbuses will pick up students before 9 am and drop them by 3 pm to avoid coinciding with government office hours (10 am to 4 pm) for smooth flow of traffic. The organisations concerned are positive on this,” he informed. It is one of several measures taken by MTPD to deal with traffic jams during peak hours.

Traffic in the core areas often goes haywire due to big schoolbuses passing through congested Valley roads during government office hours.

More than 1,200 buses of private schools operate in the Valley daily at the same time to pick up and drop students. In response, the organisations and private and boarding schools said they would hold talks with authorities at the Education Ministry and District Education Office, and submit a proposal for approval, DSP Pawan Giri informed.

“The ministry and DEO are the final authorities to approve this. Hopefully, they will give nod,” he said. However, it will not be applicable to community schools.

Earlier, MTPD had urged the Prime Minister to take initiative to amend the school timing. Separately, PABSON and N-PABSAN have agreed to set up Road Safety Club comprising students in each school.
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