Court Upholds Verdict Against Former Constituent Assembly Members

The Patan High Court has upheld a verdict by the Kathmandu District Court, finding three former members of the Constituent Assembly guilty of misusing red passports and other documents.

Justices Khadka Bahadur K.C. and Gopal Prasad Bastola of the Patan High Court upheld the district court’s decision on Ashar 23, 2083, which found Constituent Assembly members Gayatri Shah, Vishwanath Prasad Yadav, and Shivpujan Rai Yadav guilty.

According to the Patan High Court’s Information Officer, Govinda Prasad Koirla, the three former Constituent Assembly members were sentenced to five months in prison and a fine of Rs 500 each by the district court.

The Kathmandu District Court had delivered its verdict on Jestha 21, 2071. The first Constituent Assembly members were accused of selling their diplomatic passports to a middleman for financial gain.

The court also found Dil Bahadur Gharti, Gopal Baniya, Manoj Kumar Karki, Devendra Paudel, and Santosh Raj Upreti guilty of document forgery and sentenced them to one year in prison and a fine of Rs 5.54 lakh each.

The district court had also sentenced Prithvi Chantyal of Myagdi to one year in prison and a fine of Rs 500 for attempting to travel to Australia using a fake passport. The high court has upheld this verdict as well.