Biratnagar, May 18
The Biratnagar High Court has voided the Sunsari District Court’s decision to acquit controversial religious leader Krishna Giri aka Siddhababa of a rape charge.
In December 2020, the Sunsari District Court acquitted him of the rape charge. However, expressing dissatisfaction with the verdict, the government attorneys filed an appeal for the review.
In response to the appeal, a division bench of officiating chief judge Satya Mohan Joshi Tharu and Kiran Kumari Gupta decided the acquittal order would not be implemented.
The high court has ordered the district court to conduct a trial for the rape charge again.
The full text of the acquittal verdict made public in February 2021 revealed that the district judge acquitted the ‘ascetic’ Siddhababa citing the alleged victim ‘surrendered’ her body to him, and it was widely criticised.
Following that, the government attorneys decided to appeal to a higher court for review.
