After the arson completely destroyed all files, records, computers, furniture, and other office supplies, the court had resumed operations for only essential services.
The Tanahun District Court, which was destroyed by arson by protesters on Bhadra 10, will only hold hearings from Mangsir 1.
The court had resumed partial services from Bhadra 29, three days after the arson. After all the files, records, computers, furniture and other office equipment were completely destroyed in the arson, the court had brought only essential services into operation.
The court had issued a handwritten notice and had brought into operation the cases related to reconciliation, establishment of relationship, indictment, arrest warrant permission and extension of time, custodial interrogation and marriage registration. ‘We are currently providing partial services. There are no chairs to sit, no tables, no computers and printers, smooth service delivery is not possible in such a situation,’ said Nanda Prasad Acharya, the court’s clerk.
The court has been increasing service delivery by making use of computers, printers, tables and chairs provided by various organizations and individuals. ‘Due to the fire, all the files and records of the court have been burnt to ashes,’ said Shrestedar Acharya, ‘More than 1,026 ongoing cases and 1,611 records have been completely destroyed. The hard disk of the court has been stolen. Two of the three courtrooms have been burnt and are unusable. Preparations are being made to conduct work from one courtroom.’
The court has stated that the files with decisions from 29 Mangsir 2064 to 17 Asar 2069 have been completely destroyed in the fire. Similarly, all the cases registered in the court but not decided have been burnt. Shrestedar Acharya said that the court is currently trying to restructure the files of the ongoing cases. He said, "For this, preparations have been made to proceed only after verifying the documents in coordination with the district police, parties to the case and the concerned bodies." He said that notices have been issued to the parties to the case to bring copies of their cases.
According to him, about 70 percent of the document collection has been completed so far. According to the new guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, some time may have to be extended and the court has prepared to conduct the proceedings from November 1. Similarly, the court has stated that the physical structure was completely damaged after the fire, which has hampered the smooth flow of services.
