Nepal Parliament Debates Death Penalty After Rape-Murder Of 3-Year-Old Near Bihar Border
· World · Times of India, India Today, Indian Express
Nepal's parliament is debating whether to reintroduce the death penalty after the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Bara district, around 25km from the Indian border town of Raxaul in Bihar. The girl disappeared from Jeetpur-Simara on August 16, and her body was found two days later in an abandoned house near her home, triggering protests in Simara, Kathmandu and other cities. Police have identified a 16-year-old neighbour as the principal suspect, took nine people into custody, and are facing questions over the speed of their initial response. Lawmakers from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party, including Afsana Banu, are pushing to amend Article 16(2) of Nepal's Constitution, which currently bars capital punishment. Law minister Sobita Gautam and home minister Sudan Gurung told parliament that any such change would first require a constitutional amendment, leaving the government's position unresolved.
Why it matters
The case has direct cross-border resonance for India because the crime occurred barely 25km from Bihar, and a push to restore capital punishment in Nepal would mark a sharp departure from its existing human rights commitments and reshape its juvenile justice framework.
Read the original report — Times of India
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