Final hearing on Mahara rape charge underway, verdict likely today

KATHMANDU, Feb 16: The Kathmandu District Court is conducting a final hearing on the attempted rape allegation charge against former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara today.

If the hearing concludes today, the court will issue a verdict today itself, according to the court.

Mahara was arrested in October last year after a female parliament secretariat staffer registered a complaint against him accusing him of sexually assaulting her at her Tinkune-based apartment on Sept 30.

Following the allegation, Mahara resigned from his position as Speaker.

Earlier, Mahara had appealed to the Patan High Court demanding a bail challenging the district court’s decision. However, the high court upheld the Kathmandu District Court’s decision to remand him to custody saying he could not be bailed since the prima facie evidence went against Mahara.

The high court had also ordered the district court to decide the case within one month.

Although, the police had recovered insole from Mahara’s shoe and his broken glass form her apartment as evidence, the victim’s phone call to police and lawmaker Uma Regmi, and her statement to a journalist in an interview all point against Mahara, he has denied the allegations.