Writ petition filed against PM Dahal, Dr Bhattarai

KATHMANDU: A writ petition has been registered against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and his conflict-era lieutenant Dr Baburam Bhattarai for the use of child soldiers during the “people’s war.”

The then CPN (Maoist) waged a decade-long war against the state in the mid-1990s. While Dahal led the party, Dr Bhattarai was the second-in-command.

Child soldiers, including Lenin Bista, filed the writ petition, demanding that the apex court order the prosecution of the Maoist leaders for using child soldiers during the Maoist insurgency.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to register the petition, stating that it is a matter related to transitional justice and would be dealt with separately. After the apex court refused to register his writ petition, Bista filed another petition demanding an interim order against the court administration’s decision to refuse registration of the writ petition.

A single bench of Justice Ananda Mohan Bhattarai on Friday ordered the Supreme Court administration to register the writ.

A total of 2,973 combatants out of 4,008 were disqualified during the verification process for being minors.