Gagan for ending amnesty for prisoners involved in serious crimes

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress lawmaker Gagan Kumar Thapa has demanded an immediate end to amnesty for prisoners involved in serious crimes.

Speaking at the meeting of the House of Representatives on Thursday, Thapa urged the government to clarify existing laws and create new ones, if needed, to prevent such mistakes from occurring in the future.

Referring to the amnesty granted to 670 inmates on the occasion of Constitution Day on September 20, Thapa said that individuals convicted of serious crimes have been exempted from imprisonment by exploiting legal loopholes which goes against the spirit of the constitution. “This decision is wrong. Protests against it are natural and the issue has reached the court. It makes a mockery of our system,” Thapa, who is also the general secretary of the ruling Nepali Congres, said.

Thapa said that there is a practice of offering amnesty throughout the world in cases of human error to ensure that no one is subjected to injustice. “However, individuals convicted of serious crimes should not be offered amnesty by taking advantage of legal loopholes,” he added. “No one should be granted amnesty without specifying the basis and laws. The presidency should not be unnecessarily brought into disrepute.”

He stressed the government’s need to clarify and reform this matter in the future, calling for the creation and integration of new laws while eliminating legal loopholes to prevent misinterpretations of the law.