Supreme Court Schedules Verdict on Case Against Prachanda, Bhattarai Regarding Child Soldiers During Maoist Insurgency

Kathmandu. The full bench of the Supreme Court has scheduled the verdict for the case filed against CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and former Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai concerning the use of child soldiers during the Maoist conflict.

On Thursday, the bench comprising Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla, Sunil Kumar Pokharel, and Shanti Singh Thapa placed the writ petition, which concerns allegations of the use and abuse of children during the Maoist conflict, for final decision (Nisu) after concluding the hearing.

The Supreme Court had previously set the final verdict date for the writ filed by Lenin Bist, a former ineligible combatant of the former People's Liberation Army (PLA), for Falgun 28. However, after the arguments concluded on Thursday, the full bench of the Supreme Court placed it in the 'decision-making' category.

Former Maoist combatant Bist had filed the writ petition in the Supreme Court two years ago, claiming that the bill amended to conclude transitional justice issues was not in accordance with international humanitarian law. He demanded that the identification of conflict-era child soldiers be included and that the recruitment of child soldiers be removed from the definition of serious human rights violations.

In the writ, Bist claimed that he was used in combat during the People's War but was not managed or cared for afterward. The writ asserts that they are wandering around as former ineligible combatants without receiving any relief or assistance from the Maoist party or the government.

The writ claims that child soldiers were used during the 10-year People's War conducted by the Maoists, and the state should compensate them, or alternatively, the Maoist party and its chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' must take responsibility.

The government had previously announced relief of two lakh rupees per combatant. The government had also created a procedure for this, but it was halted after the Supreme Court issued a stay order.