SC Moved to Make Public Rayamajhi Panel Report

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed on Friday at the Supreme Court seeking its order to the government to make public and implement the report prepared by the High-Level Investigation Commission.The commission headed by former Supreme Court Justice Krishna Jung Rayamajhi had probed the suppression of Jana Andolan-II. The commission had submitted its report to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.Advocates Chandra Kanta Gyawali, Arun Gyawali, Raj Kumar Dhakal and Bimal Gyawali filed the petition.Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet (PMO) and Deputy Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and the team lead by him to investigate on Rayamajhi report have been made defendants in the petition.The petitioners also sought the apex court order to the government to prosecute those accused by the Rayamajhi report of rights violations and misuse of the state treasury to suppress people during the Jana Andolan-II.The petitioners also accused the PMO of not giving them the report despite their request. "Though the report was a matter of public concern, the government did not give us the report. Demanding that the report be given to us, we had filed a petition," the petitioners said."When we went to the PMO demanding a copy of the report, they refused to give it to us. They said it was not the matter of our concern. Now, we have no option except to seek the apex court intervention," the petitioners claimed in the PIL.They also claimed that the report is a matter of public concern as per Article 27 of the Interim Constitution, Article 19(2)(3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966 and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948.The commission, which handed over the report to PM Koirala on November 20, has recommended the government to take action against 202 people.The commission had investigated the suppression of the pro-democratic people by the royal regime after King Gyanendra seized the executive powers on February 1, 2005."Since the government did not do anything to take action against the guilty and make the report public, there is an urgent need for the apex court to intervene on the matter as per the Article 32 and 107 of the Interim Constitution," the petitioners added.