Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Second-rung leaders of major political parties have reached a consensus on the transitional justice bill.
The “Bill for the Amendment of the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act,” which was registered in the House of Representatives on February 9, 2023, is currently being deliberated upon in the parliamentary Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee. Leaders in the sub-committee formed by the committee have reached an understanding on contentious issues in the Bill. They will now prepare the final report and submit it to the committee after hearing from the senior leaders of different political parties.
CPN-UML Parliamentary Party Deputy Leader Subash Nembang, CPN (Maoist Center) Deputy General Secretary Barsha Man Pun, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chief Whip Santosh Pariyar, Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), and Sher Bahadur Kunwar of CPN (Unified Socialist) are in the sub-committee.
The Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs has prepared a draft based on the consensus among these leaders.
“The sub-committee has prepared a report, and some issues require approval from the senior-level leaders,” Kunwar stated. “All second-tier leaders in the sub-committee have reached an understanding on the transitional justice Bill.”
Kunwar explained that certain aspects of the draft prepared by the law ministry require detailed clarification. According to him, the draft addresses four main topics: the term of the Truth and Reconciliation and Disappeared Persons Investigation Commission; the provision of appeals in conflict cases; the establishment of a separate bench in the Supreme Court to handle conflict-related cases; and the definition of serious human rights violations and human rights violations.
The parties have come to an agreement that the commission’s term will be four years and will automatically expire if it completes its work before that time. Previously, there were disagreements over whether the commission would hear appeals after a final verdict had been reached.
Likewise, the parties are nearing a consensus on the definition of serious human rights violations and human rights violations.
“This time, we have addressed the issue of rape and enforced disappearance,” stated Nembang. “We are also making arrangements for the upcoming commission to receive complaints from various commissions in Nepal as well as the United Nations. This will help address complaints that were previously overlooked.”
The sub-committee was formed on May 19 with a 21-day timeframe, which was later extended by 15 days on July 21. It has been granted an additional 7-day extension. It’s latest deadline is expiring on September 12.
