Kathmandu, April 5: The Kathmandu District Court has ordered the release of Lumbini Province Assembly member Rekha Sharma.
A bench led by Judge Jagat Paudel ruled today that there were no sufficient grounds to keep Sharma in judicial custody for further trial proceedings. She was the member of CPN UML.
The Office of the Attorney General had earlier decided on Jestha 16, 2082 BS not to prosecute Sharma. The court noted that since a decision had already been made not to pursue the case, there was no justification for continuing her detention during trial.
Sharma had been arrested on allegations of employing a minor as a domestic worker and subjecting the child to labor exploitation. However, the court stated that there was no objective and conclusive evidence in the case file to substantiate claims that the victim had been tortured or kept in conditions amounting to slavery.
On this basis, the court concluded that there were insufficient grounds to proceed with charges related to enslavement. It also upheld the earlier decisions of the District Government Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu, and the High Government Attorney’s Office, Patan, which had determined that the case should not be prosecuted. #nepal #politics
