JANAKPURDHAM: The Janakpur High Court has ordered the release of Moti Babu Sah and Madan Mohan Sah, who were in custody pending trial for the murder of Aarti Sah, on a general date.
The Dhanusha District Court had previously remanded Aarti’s husband, Moti Babu, and father-in-law, Madan Mohan, to judicial custody until a final verdict was issued.
A division bench comprising Chief High Court Judge Sharada Subedi and High Court Judge Kiran Kumar Pokharel, however, ordered the police to release the father-son duo on a general date, according to Khadga Raj Adhikari, the registrar of the Dhanusha High Court.
Aarti was discovered dead at her residence in Thapa Chowk of Janakpurdham-9 on May 21. Moti Babu had informed the police that Aarti had committed suicide. The police had taken Aarti’s body into custody from a local Kavya Hospital for further investigation. The father-son duo was arrested by the police after Aarti’s parents filed a complaint alleging murder. A murder case against the duo was subsequently filed at the Dhanusha District Court.
Following a bail hearing on June 20, the district court sent the duo to custody pending trial. However, the high court, on Friday, released them on bail, citing that an examination of the available evidence indicated that it was not necessary to detain them until the investigation was completed.
Aarti and Motibabu got married in 2020. Aarti’s parents have been asserting that her husband and in-laws murdered her after subjecting her to harassment over dowry-related issues. They even organized a sit-in protest at Maitighar, Kathmandu, demanding justice for their daughter.