Puja Bohara still begging for justice

Krishna Mahara

Kathmandu, 10 January 2016:

Puja Bohara still begging for justice

The rape case regarding Pooja Bohara again got postponed today after one year of it was filed at the apex court of Nepal. The case registered with the no. CR O659 at Supreme Court (SC) for an appeal by the deputy attorney general of government of Nepal Badri Prashad Gautam on December 7, 2014 got first priority and scheduled for January 18 2015 for hearing. Again it was postponed for February 22 for hearing. Following the date of June 14, August 12, October 4 and November 29 respectively the rape case was postponed.

‘The case postponed due to the lack of time as there were dozens of cases scheduled for hearing’,   Said Bhadra Prasad Nepal alias Swagat Nepal lawyer, advocating the rape case of victim Puja Bohara.

Here Puja Bohara is too much worried about the case. She is waiting for justice from Supreme Court. She is more worrying for not finalizing the case and leaving the rapist open. Bohara is begging justice in front of Supreme Court. ‘It is more painful to see the rapist innocent rather than being raped’,Says Puja Bohara, a girl dreaming to be an engineer in future.

Menuka Thapa, Chairperson, Raksha Nepal

‘Delay justice is no justice’, said Menuka Thapa, Chairperson of Raksha Nepal, a social organization providing shelter to Puja Bohara. The role of judiciary is to punish the perpetrators and provide justice to the victims, she added.

Chairperson Thapa also demands for the fast track justice system for the serious cases like rape, murder and inhuman crimes.

According to the charge-sheet, she was raped by Sagar Bhatta of Bhumeswar 3  Baitadi, and Amar Awasthi of Gujar 2  while going to buy guess paper of Mathematics  for SLC examination. In 2013, both of them were fined 50 thousand Rupees and imprisonment of 13 years by the justice Himalaya Pathak at district court Baitadi. But, taking the appeal into its hearing the appellate court of Kanchanpur had proved innocent. The decision of the division bench consisting of justices Narabahadur Shahi and Ramesh Prasad Rajbhandari of Baitadi District Court is now challenged by Puja Bohara at the Supreme Court.

Puja Bohara was surprised when she knew that the rapists were released. She had also written an open letter to then minister for law and justice Narahari Aacharya through the media. She had raised the question that either to punish her if she  was wrong or she would condemn the perpetrators to be punished. In answer  affirmatively, then minister Aacharya also had assured her to guarantee full justice. The minister  had also thanked to Raksha Nepal for providing shelter to Puja Bohara.

After the media discussion through the open letter to the minister Aacharya and Ms Bohara former Prime minister Baburam Bhattarai had also spoken out on national dailies expressing his commitment to provide justice to Bohara.