Fake Bhutanese Refugee Case Hearing Continues in Kathmandu District Court

Kathmandu. The case related to the fake Bhutanese refugee scam is scheduled to begin hearing today (Friday) with the court placing it 'under consideration' after hearing arguments. The hearing has been ongoing for two days in the bench of Judge Tej Bahadur Khadka at the Kathmandu District Court. After the prosecution's arguments were completed on Thursday, the defense lawyers for the defendants will begin their arguments from today (Friday). This case, involving the collection of large sums of money by falsely portraying Nepali citizens as Bhutanese refugees and sending them to countries like the United States, is in its final stages of hearing after three years. The charge sheet claims that Nepali citizens were made Bhutanese refugees through the planning of an organized gang by preparing forged documents. The hearing at the District Court began after the case, filed on five charges including organized crime, reached the hearing stage nearly three years after its filing. On Jestha 10, 2080, cases were filed at the Kathmandu District Court against former Deputy Prime Minister and UML leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, former Home Minister and Congress leader Balkrishna Khand, then Home Secretary Teknarayan Pandey, former MP Angtawa Sherpa, and then Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa's security advisor Indrajit Rai, among 30 others, on charges of forgery, fraud, organized crime, and crimes against the state. The case also includes key brokers Keshav Dulal, his wife Deepa Humagain, another broker Sanu Bhandari and Sandesh Sharma, as well as network members Tankakumar Gurung, Mohanraj Rai, Niranjan kumar Kharel, Keshav Tuladhar, broker Haribhakta Maharjan, his wife Laxmi Maharjan, Rajesh Aryal, Binita Sabden Limbu, Sagar Rai, Ashish Budhathoki, Sunil Budhathoki, Ramsharan KC, Ashok Pokhrel, Govindkumar Chaudhary, Dhiren Rai, Bechan Jha, and Bhutanese refugee leader Teknath Rizal, who are also facing similar charges. Of the 18 individuals arrested when the case was filed, 2 were sent to jail and 16 were released on bail, with the case proceeding. 12 individuals were absconding. Although some absconding individuals were later arrested, some accused are still at large. On Jestha 10, 2081, a supplementary charge sheet was filed against 5 individuals including Keshav Dulal, who was already a defendant, and on Shrawan 4, 2081, against another suspect Bechan Jha, on Shrawan 29, 2081. All three cases have been consolidated for hearing, except for the pre-trial detention arguments and orders. The bench of then District Court Judge Premprasad Neupane had ordered the arrested individuals to be kept in detention for trial, stating they were 'guilty based on the evidence obtained at the time'. Later, some defendants were released on bail and bail from the High Court. Some remain in detention as the district and high court verdicts were upheld. The case was not prioritized in the previous two years, 2080 and 2081. The cases against former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Rayamajhi's son Sandeep Rayamajhi, former Home Minister Balkrishna Khand, then Haj Committee Chairman Shamsher Mian, then Home Minister Khand's personal secretary Narendra KC, then Home Secretary Teknarayan Pandey, then Constituent Assembly member Angtawa Sherpa, then Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa's son Pratik Thapa, then Home Minister Thapa's security advisor Indrajit Rai, and Rai's son Niraj Rai are sub-judice in the District Court.