Make law for welfare of displaced people :SC

Kathmandu, Feb 11- The Supreme Court on friday issued an order to the government to promulgate law in order to provide relief to the victim of ongoing conflict in the country.

A division bench of Justices Min Bahadur Rayamajhi and Rajendra Kumar Bhandari issued the order following a hearing today. “Promulgate necessary law to define conflict victims and categorise their status in order to provide relief to them,” the bench ordered.

During the hearing, advocates Raju Prasad Chapagain and Tek Tamrakar sought the court order to the government in this regard. They argued that the ongoing conflict has become a major problem in the country and that should be settled through legal and political means.

The bench was responding to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a displaced journalist and a teacher from Doti and Ramechhap districts, Bhim Prakash Oli and Keshav Lama.

According to advocate Chapagain, the two displaced professionals had moved the apex court last year, seeking the court order to the government to provide them with relief. Due to the conflict, we have lost our right to life and equality, though the Constitution has guaranteed these rights.

“They moved the apex court as they could not get relief from the government,” said Chapagain, adding: “They had appealed to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet, Home Ministry and the concerned District Administration Offices to provide them with relief, but to no avail,” Chapagain added.

“They had demanded the government either to provide opportunities for jobs abroad or provide them with any other means of sustenance,” Chapagain added. “Though the Supreme Court today issued the order to the government to promulgate the relevant law, I don’t know where my clients are,” he said. “They had stopped attending the court because they could not afford to live in Kathmandu,” Chapagain added.