A writ petition has been filed by Journalist Rupa Sunar in the Supreme Court on July 4, 2021, demanding action against Minister of Education, Science, and Technology Krishna Gopal Shrestha and has asked to take action against him for caste-based discrimination and untouchability.
In the petition, Sunar has asked the court to issue an order to remove Minister Shrestha from the post saying that the minister misused his post and resources to influence an ongoing investigation by securing the release of the accused.
Sunar had filed a complaint against Saraswati Pradhan, the landlady from Babarmahal, Kathmandu Metropolitan-11. The Metropolitan Police Circle had arrested the accused for the investigation on the basis of that complaint.
The District Attorney’s Office had reverted the case file stating lack of evidence for further legal proceedings but Minister Shrestha had escorted the alleged perpetrator of caste discrimination from the police office to her home after her release.
After the incident, Sunar had filed a complaint against Minister Shrestha at the Singha Durbar Metropolitan Police Circle, but the police did not register it. After that, a complaint was lodged at the District Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu, alleging that the complaint was not registered by the authorities.
In the writ petition, Minister Shrestha, District Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu, Metropolitan Police Circle Singha Durbar and house owner Saraswati Pradhan have been made defendants.
According to Rupa, she did not get any response from the District Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Circle Singha Durbar when she went to get information on the release of house-owner Pradhan.
The writ petition has demanded written information about the progress made in the case against Saraswati Pradhan and the decision to release the accused.
Similarly, it has been demanded to arrest Saraswati Pradhan in the coming days as she could destroy the evidence of the case and hinder the investigation through influential people.
Therefore, Sunar has now demanded Shrestha to be punished for committing an offence as per the Caste-based Untouchability and Social Discrimination (Offence and Punishment) Act- 2068.
A few days ago, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had also warned Minister Shrestha to not to do such things in the upcoming days.