The Government of Nepal and Tharu Welfare Society and Tharuhat/Tharuwan Joint Struggle Committee have signed a six-point agreement on June 1, 2021, which includes the agreement to take initiative as per the law for withdrawal of the case of Tikapur incident against Parliament Member, Resham Chaudhary.
Rukmini Chaudhary, coordinator of the dialogue team formed by Tharu Welfare Society and Tharuhat/Tharuwan Joint Struggle Committee said that the government has agreed to provide relief or adequate management to those deprived families of martyred and treatment for the injured during the Tharuhat / Tharuwan movement.
She further explained that the agreement has committed to ensure the judiciary’s decisions and constitutional provisions accordingly for the reservation of all kinds of Tharus in every level of the state.
According to Chaudhary, the agreement has also included the provision of Tharu education in the Tharu dominated areas and to implement the agreements reached with the Kamaiya and Kamalari Struggle Committees in the past.
Minister for Law, Lilanath Shrestha, Rajan Bhattarai and Bhagawati Chaudary from the side of Nepal Government and Rukmini Chaudhary, Prem Lal Chaudhary, Padmanarayan Chaudhary, Prabhat Chaudhary and Chand Prasad Chaudhary on behalf of the Joint Struggle Committee signed the agreement.
The government and the Struggle Committee has reached an agreement of legal initiative to release the convict from the court. He was arrested for the murder of eight police personnel including SP Laxman Neupane and a minor in Tikapur of Kailali district on August 24, 2015.
Punishment amnesty, Postponement, Change or Reduction Procedure 2071 BS specifies that if a person wants to pardon, postpone, change or reduce the decided punishment, s/he should apply openly.
However, Article 3 of the Procedure presents that the punishment for crimes such as corruption, rape, government fraudulent, organized crime, war crime etc. will not be reduced. Nepal’s constitution, existing laws and regulations do not allow the government to withdraw any such cases. INSEC has raised its concerns for human rights, rule of law and justice in such cases for a long time.