Kathmandu, October 28
The Supreme Court has decided to file a complaint with the police demanding action against those involved in the vandalism and destruction of courts across the country. The decision to lodge the complaint was made during a full bench meeting of all justices on Sunday.
“The process of drafting the complaint is ongoing. It will likely be registered at the Kathmandu District Police Office by tomorrow,” Supreme Court spokesperson Arjun Koirala informed Onlinekhabar. “Since we have not been able to verify the identities of the perpetrators, we have not named anyone in the complaint. Our expectation is that the police will identify the culprits through investigation and take necessary action against them.”
Sunday’s full court meeting had decided to seek legal remedies and demand action against those responsible for the arson and destruction at the Supreme Court and other courts nationwide. However, the complaint will not be filed by the justices themselves but by senior officials from the Supreme Court administration, most likely in the name of the Chief Registrar or other registrars.
The Supreme Court building at Ramshahpath was severely damaged by fire following the nationwide vandalism and arson that broke out the day after the crackdown on the Gen Z movement. The fire, which lasted for around three days, destroyed case files of about 20,000 ongoing cases and 197,000 already-decided cases.
More than 50 four-wheel vehicles used by judges and staff were completely burnt, along with around 150 motorcycles inside the court premises. It is also believed that some vehicles and motorcycles belonging to service seekers and legal practitioners were also destroyed.
The Supreme Court administration also plans to include a demand for action against those involved in arson and vandalism at other courts in the complaint. In Kathmandu, the Supreme Court, the Special Court, and the District Court were all damaged by the fires.
