Former Deputy PM, Home Minister Sentenced in Fake Bhutanese Refugee Case

Kathmandu. Former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and former Home Minister Balkrishna Khand have been sentenced to jail in the fake Bhutanese refugee case. Fifteen people including them have been sentenced to jail.

A bench of Kathmandu District Court Judge Tej Bahadur Khadka has determined the sentence for 16 defendants.

On June 23, the court had ordered that 15 out of 31 defendants be found guilty, 7 be acquitted, and the cases of 8 be put on hold.

According to the court's decision, main accused including former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, former Home Secretary Teknarayan Pandey, intermediaries Keshav Dulal and Sanu Bhandari have been given the maximum sentence of 4 years imprisonment and a fine of 40,000 rupees. Sandesh Sharma, Angtawa Sherpa, Sagar Rai and Vikram alias Govinda Kumar Chaudhary have also received the same sentence.

नक्कली भुटानी शरणार्थी प्रकरण : कसुरदारहरूलाई सजाय ताेकियाे, कसलाई कति सजाय ?

Former Home Minister Balkrishna Khand and Bhutanese activist Teknath Rizal have been sentenced to 2 years imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 rupees.

Similarly, former Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa 'Badal's security advisor Dr. Indrajit Rai has been sentenced to 4 years imprisonment, but due to his age (above 75 years), some reduction has been given in his sentence. He will now have to serve 3 years 2 months 10 days imprisonment and pay a fine of 40,000 rupees.

Narendra KC, Shamsher Miyan, Haribhakta Maharjan and Niranjan Kumar Kharel, who were involved in this case, have been sentenced to 1 year imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 rupees.