Kathmandu. The Supreme Court of Nepal has ordered an amendment to the law governing prisoner sentence reductions, stating that the final authority will now rest with the government, not the president.

राष्ट्रपतिको विशेषाधिकार हट्यो : सर्वोच्चको नयाँ आदेशमा के छ ?

Under Section 37 of the Criminal Offense (Sentencing and Implementation) Act, 2074, well-behaved prisoners could previously have their remaining sentence reduced after serving half their term. The Supreme Court clarified that prisoners convicted of life imprisonment, rape, corruption, human trafficking, abduction, money laundering, crimes against humanity, or heinous murder are excluded.

The ruling was delivered by the Full Bench of the Supreme Court, including Justices Dr. Nahakul Subedi, Sharanga Subedi, Mahesh Sharma Paudel, Tek Prasad Dhungana, and Sunil Kumar Pokhrel.