Minister Bir Bahadur Thapa and 12 others pay fines in lieu of prison sentences

Dhangadhi: Sudurpaschim Province Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives Bir Bahadur Thapa, along with 12 others, has paid fines in lieu of serving prison sentences. They exercised the provision under Section 155 of the National Criminal Procedure Code, 2074 BS, which allows imprisonment to be substituted with a monetary penalty.

In the jail break case, 21 individuals, including Minister Thapa, were required to serve a remaining prison term of six months. Among them, 12 have paid a fine at the rate of Rs 300 per day, while four individuals have passed away. Five others are still required to serve their prison sentences, according to Narayan Dutt Ojha, Tehsildar of the District Court, Kanchanpur.

Ojha stated that the individuals were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and that Section 155 provides for payment of a daily fine of Rs 300 in such cases. He added that the law permits payment of a fine in lieu of imprisonment for offenses punishable by up to one year in prison, eliminating the need for incarceration once the fine is paid.

Previously, the Kanchanpur District Court had repeatedly requested the police to ensure execution of the sentences, but police action to arrest Minister Thapa had not been active. The court had also issued directives to local levels and other government offices to suspend all government benefits for those who had not complied with the sentence.

Minister Thapa was arrested from Daiji, Kanchanpur on November 29, 2001, while affiliated with the Maoists. He later escaped from Kanchanpur prison on September 26, 2008, and was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in the same case. Active in Maoist politics for a long period, Thapa is currently affiliated with the CPN-UML. He was elected from Kanchanpur constituency number 1(1) representing the UML and became Minister of Agriculture after being elected to the Provincial Assembly.

Minister Thapa has described the incident as related to the political conflict period. Recently, it has been reported that 12 individuals, including the minister, opted to take advantage of Section 155 amid concerns of arrest after a new police team was mobilized in the Far West to enforce the verdict.