The Supreme Court has set a date for all parties to submit argument notes on February 10 and a final verdict on February 28.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
The full bench of the Supreme Court has sent the case registered against NCP coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal and former Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai regarding the use of child soldiers during the Maoist conflict for final hearing.
A bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla, Sunil Kumar Pokharel and Shantisingh Thapa has sent the writ petition claiming the use and abuse of children in the Maoist conflict to the Supreme Court for final hearing.
The Supreme Court has set the date for all parties to submit argument notes on February 10 in the writ petition filed by former People's Liberation Army (PLA) fighter Lelin Bista and the final verdict on February 28. Both sides argued on Thursday.
During the argument, demands were raised that an order be issued to include the relief package for child soldiers and whether child soldiers were used, including the Truth, Reconciliation and Enforced Disappearances Commission Act, and that those who led them at the time be brought to justice. Advocate Gyanendra Aran argued for Bista, while former Attorney General Mukti Pradhan argued for NCP coordinator Dahal. Now the Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict based on the debate notes. Earlier, the Supreme Court had sent the issue raised in the writ petition to the full bench from the joint bench, saying that it was also a matter of constitutional interpretation. Former Maoist fighter Bista had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court two years ago, claiming that the amended bill to resolve the issue of transitional justice was not in accordance with international humanitarian law.
He has demanded that the identity of the conflict-era child soldiers be removed from the definition of serious human rights violations, saying that it has been removed.
Bista has claimed in the writ petition that he was used in the fighting during the people's war but that no management or care was taken after that.
The writ petition claims that he wandered around as a former disqualified fighter but did not receive any relief or support from the Maoists and the government. The writ petition claims that the children's army was used in the 10-year people's war waged by the Maoists and that the state should compensate them, otherwise the Maoists and the party's chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda should take responsibility.
The government had earlier announced that it would provide Rs 200,000 as a relief to the fighters. The government had also formulated a procedure for this. However, it was stopped after the Supreme Court stayed it.
