Kathmandu: The Supreme Court of Nepal has issued a show cause notice to the Nepal government seeking clarification why notorious serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case, should not be released from jail after spending 18 years in prison. A single bench of the top court headed by Anil Kumar Sinha issued the show cause notice in response to an appeal submitted by his lawyers to release Sobhraj, 77, on the grounds of old age.
The top court directed the government to submit a written reply within three days on why he should not be freed, according to an official at the court. Lawyers including Saroj Ghimire and Shakuntala Thapa argued in the court on behalf of the petitioner, asking for his release.
Also read: 2 men brutally assaulted over Rs 3000 in Delhi, one dead; Accused caught on CCTV
Sobhraj, a Frenchman of Indian and Vietnamese parentage, was charged with using a fake passport to enter Nepal and killing two backpackers in 1975, US citizen Connie Jo Boronzich, 29, and his girlfriend Canadian Laurent Carrière, 26. He was spotted outside a casino in Nepal on September 1, 2003, after a newspaper published his photograph.
After his arrest, the police filed two separate murder cases against him on charges of murdering the couple in 1975 in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. He has been serving 21-year imprisonment in Kathmandu’s Central Jail, 20 year for murdering the US citizen and one year and a fine of Rs 2,000 for using a fake passport. The court is yet to sentence him on the murder of the Canadian citizen.
Also read: Mumbai cop assaults bar employee for refusing to serve food after 12 in the night
Senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi responded that this is a regular process of the court. ‘After receiving the written response from the government the court will hear arguments from both sides before coming to a final verdict’, he said.
Post Your Comments