Kathmandu, August 1

Supreme Court Chief Justice Cholendra SJB Rana today said journalists had an important role in ensuring that the judiciary functioned independently and impartially.

Speaking to journalists at an event to make public Fourth Five-Year Strategic Plan of the judiciary, Chief Justice Rana said citizens would be protected only if journalists disseminated correct information.

Stating that negative reporting by the media on sub-judice cases would affect justice delivery, Rana said it would be better no to write on issues that were not of public concern.

He acknowledged that justices, including him and other court staffers could make mistakes.

&If those mistakes are mala-fide, you are free to report,& he said.

On the occasion, Justice Ishwor Khatiwada said the judiciary had adopted restraint when it came to the issue of contempt of court.

&I am of the view that a new law is not necessary in this regards. But, if the Parliament adopts new law, I have nothing to say,& he said.

Justice Hari Krishna Karki said the media needed to introspect whether their reporting was making justices apprehensive in issuing verdicts.

In replying to journalists& queries the justices spoke of various ills dogging the judiciary such as appointment of judges on the basis of political quota, undue pressure of the executive on judiciary and delay in delivering verdicts.

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Kathmandu, August 1

Meteorological Forecasting Division today said monsoon was likely to lose momentum for the next two or three days throughout the country.

According to a meteorological analysis released by MFD, the axis of monsoon trough is on the south of the Tarai and is predicted to gradually shift towards and remain in the west of the Tarai after two or three days.

Monsoon to gain strength after three days, says MFD

This satellite image shows the weather of Nepal. Photo courtesy: DHM_Weather Twitter

&Monsoon will gain strength only after its axis of monsoon shifts from the south to the west,& it read. MFD however said, weather across the country will remain cloudy, with light rainfall at a few places.

Many parts of the country received little to no rain in the past 24 hours due to reduced monsoon activity. Biratnagar station of MFD recorded the highest rainfall with 19 mm, followed by Pokhara (12 mm), Jumla (9 mm), Birendranagar and Nepalgunj (5 mm, each), Bhairahawa (4 mm), Dipayal and Taplejung (3 mm, each) and Dadeldhura (1 mm), the MFD records showed. Kathmandu experienced traces of rainfall. Okhaldhunga, Dhakuta and Simara stations recorded no rain.

In July, Kathmandu had received 492.3 mm of rainfall against the monthly average of 363.4 mm. Flood Forecasting Section of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said water flow in all small and large rivers was predicted to remain below warning level due to virtually dry monsoon, but it advised people living around small streams of hilly areas to maintain alert against possibility of flash floods.

Nepal receives 80 per cent of annual rainfall on average during monsoon, which originates in the Bay of Bengal and moves along the southern flanks of the Himalayas. The average annual rainfall in Nepal is 1,600 mm but, it varies from place to place, depending on climatic conditions, according to MFD.

As per the forecast of the 14th session of South Asian Climate Outlook Forum, held in Kathmandu from April 18 to 23, below-normal rainfall is likely to occur in western parts of provinces 1, 2, 3 and 5, this monsoon. Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces will receive normal rainfall. SASCOF had developed a consensus outlook through an assessment of experts on the prevailing global climate conditions and forecasts from different climate models around the world. Monsoon usually enters Nepal on June 10 and remains active till September 23, every year. This year, MFD had officially declared the onset of monsoon from June 20, a delay by 10 days.

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Kathmandu, July 31

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police yesterday arrested a woman, who had been absconding after being convicted of foreign employment offence.

According to CIB, Poonam Nepali, 43, of Nagarjun Municipality was held from Sitapaila.

Foreign Employment Tribunal had sentenced her to 18 months in jail, along with a fine of Rs 150,000 on 15 July 2012 for defrauding a person of Rs 1.5 million with the promise of sending him to Cyprus for employment.

The tribunal had also ordered her to pay a compensation of Rs 1.5 million to the victim.

The Central Investigation Bureau said Nepali was sent to the Central Jail,Sundhara for implementation of the verdict.

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Kathmandu, August 1

Number of men seeking divorce in Kathmandu District Court has increased remarkably as provisions in new Civil and Criminal Code Act-2017 allow men to directly file for divorce at court.

Previously, only women were allowed to file divorce case at court while men had to first register the case at local level, where local government authorities made efforts at reconciliation between wife and husband.

It was only in the event of failure by local body to achieve reconciliation between husband and wife within a year that the case was transferred to the district court.

Tedious and lengthy procedure in the past had discouraged men to seek divorce.

But, since the new act came into effect, number of men filing divorce papers at the court has overwhelmingly increased. Statistics maintained by the court show that as many as 937 men sought divorce in the fiscal 2018-19.

According to the court registrar Ananda Shrestha, only two or three cases of divorce forwarded by the local government were received by the court until the enactment of the new law.

While the number of divorce cases at the court increased radically in 2018-19, the Judicial Committee of Kathmandu Metropolitan City recorded zero cases of divorce during the same fiscal. The committee had recorded a total of 67 divorce cases, mostly from men in the previous fiscal, 2017-18.

Hari Maya Ghimire, law enforcement officer at KMC, said the previous law had a provision of special protection for women, making it difficult for men to file divorce cases. The old law had drawn criticism in view of equal rights to men and women.

&As the new legal provisions guaranteed equal rights to men and women, men started flocking to the court for divorce,& she said.

The new law stipulated that any of the spouses may seek divorce at his/her will anytime, without seeking consent of his/her partner. A husband may move the court for divorce if his wife has been staying separately for at least three consecutive years; if she has ostracised him or has not provided him with food and shelter; if the husband has suffered physical and mental torture from his wife, and if the wife is proven guilty of extramarital relationship.

Registrar Shrestha said some of the reasons for more men seeking divorce were consequence of foreign employment, influence of the western lifestyle and misuse of social media. &Most of the men filed divorce case following extramarital affairs of their wives,& he said.

Ghimire said more men wanted divorce due to their relationship with other women. &They just want divorce to marry their lovers,& she said, adding that economic independence of women coupled with their increased educational qualification, in recent years, have also women to opt for divorce.

Although the number of men seeking divorce grew significantly, the number of women filing divorce case is still higher. Out of total 3,669 divorce papers, almost 75 per cent (2732 cases) were filed by women in the fiscal 2018-19.

Despite more men opting for divorce at the court, there is no wide gap in the total number of fiscal-wise divorce cases. A total of 3,502 cases were registered in the fiscal 2017-18, 2,895 in 2016-17, 2,451 in 2015-16, 2,256 in 2014-15, and 2,108 in 2013-14.

Radheshyam Adhikari, a lawmaker and senior advocate, who was also a member of drafting committee of the new law, said rising number of men filing divorce case should be taken as a normal phenomenon as the society is becoming more liberal.

&We must not try to stop a man or woman who wishes to end his/her marital relationship legally. We have to break the clutches of tradition that force a couple to live together even when they loathe conjugal life,& he said.

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Kathmandu, July 31

Prime Minister KP Oli is leaving for Singapore on August 3 for a routine health check-up. His health check-up will be done at National University Hospital.

Arun Sayami of the Institute of Medicine who has been conducting regular examinations on Oli said the prime minister was going for a regular check-up at the hospital.

An ultrasound-guided renal biopsy was conducted a few days ago on the prime minister to test the functioning of his kidneys. Though the reports are yet to be issued his other medical tests including electrocardiogram (ECG) are normal.

There are traces of protein in his urine. Such problems are common in those who undergo renal transplant, said Sayami.

He has heart palpitations and fluctuating blood sugar. He will undergo some special medical tests there, said the doctor.

&We have suggested him to take rest for a few days as his schedule has been quite hectic,& said Sayami.

He is going to Singapore not because he is sick but because he has to undergo a routine check- up, said Kundan Aryal, PM Olipress advisor.

He will be accompanied by his wife Radhika Shakya along with other officials. The Cabinet will decide about the team that will accompany him, according to Aryal.

Oli, who underwent kidney transplant in 2007 in New Delhi, has regularly undergone routine health check-up in foreign capitals, including New Delhi.

Oli had undergone treatment at the Singapore based hospital where he was treated for an infectious swelling in his right hand in 2014.

He had also undergone health check-up at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok.

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Kathmandu, July 31

It has already been more than two years since Kathmandu Metropolitan City formed a judicial committee, but only 378 cases have been registered with the committee.

Judicial committees have been formed in all 753 local units as per the provision in the constitution. These three-member extra-judicial bodies have the mandate to settle 13 different types of disputes through regular judicial process, including property boundary disputes, compensation for damage to crops and disputes over payment of wages. They are also authorised to settle another 11 types of disputes, including encroachment of private land and divorce, through mediation.

The judicial committees, which are headed by deputy mayors in municipalities and vice-chairpersons in rural municipalities, are crucial for local units because it is expensive to fight legal battles in courts where legal proceedings are cumbersome. Despite all this, only few people have filed compliant with the judicial committee in KMC. According to local representatives, people still do not know much about judicial committee and its function. &Due to lack of awareness people do not approach the judicial committee to settle minor disputes, & said local representatives. The data of the countrylargest local body show that the committee only records one complaint in two days, while hundreds of people go to district court or to police to settle various disputes. In the first 11 months of the fiscal 2018-19 KMC recorded only 198 such complaints. Of the total complaints, almost 63 per cent complaints were related to dispute between house owners and tenants. Of the 198 cases, two cases were filed by elderly persons demanding that their right to dignified life and food be respected.

Law enforcement officer at KMC Hari Maya Ghimire said due to lack of knowledge about local bodyrole and jurisdiction, people did not approach local levels rather they preferred to knock the door of courts. Of the total 378 cases, KMC has been able to settle 284 cases and remaining 94 are sub-judice.

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