SC shelves Sobhraj case verdict

The Supreme Court on sundayput off the pronouncement of judgment on an appeal filed by suspected international serial killer Charles Gurumukh Sobhraj against a lower court’s decision to convict him on the charge of killing an American national, Connie Jo Bronzich.According to spokesperson for the Supreme Court Til Prasad Shrestha, the pronouncement has been postponed because Justice Anup Raj Sharma, whohas been looking into the case, has gone to inspect several courts, including the Patan Appellate Court, Special Court, the Administrative Court and the Revenue Tribunal.Judges of the Supreme Court inspect these courts annually.A division bench of justices comprising Sharma and Top Bahadur Magar were scheduled to pronounce the verdict today.The bench has been considering Charles Sobhraj’s appeal against the conviction on the alleged killing of Bronzich and a separate appeal filed by the government challenging the lower court’s decision to issue clean chit to Sobhraj on a case relating to the possession of a fake passport while entering Nepal in 1975.Sobhraj is also likely to face another trial in the Bhaktapur District Court on a case related to the alleged killing of Canadian national Laurent Armond Carriare.The Carriere murder case has been pending in the Bhaktapur District Court for 32 years.