SC Shelves Sobhraj Case Verdict Yet Again

The Supreme Court put 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 assistant spokesperson for the Supreme Court Hemanta Rawal, the pronouncement has been postponed because Justice Top Bahadur Magar, who has been looking into the case, has taken a leave of absence.A division bench of justices comprising Magar and Anup Raj Sharma were scheduled to pronounce the verdict . Earlier, SC had put off the announcement of the final verdict on November 4 as justice Sharma had gone to inspect several courts, including the Patan Appellate Court, Special Court, the Administrative Court and the Revenue Tribunal.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.