KATHMANDU, Nov 3: The Kathmandu District Court has directed Dillibazar Prison to release former minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi on November 12 after granting him a 25 percent reduction in his prison sentence under legal provisions for senior citizens.
Rayamajhi was sentenced to four years in prison in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam case on July 14. He was also fined Rs 40,000 and ordered to deposit Rs 1,600 as compensation into the Victim Relief Fund.
As Rayamajhi turns 65 on November 11, he qualified for a 25 percent sentence reduction under the law, which allows such a concession to senior citizens aged 65 and above. In an order issued on October 30, the court reduced his four-year sentence by one year.
Top Bahadur Rayamajhi's son Sandeep Rayamajhi being brought to...
With the reduction, his prison term was set at three years. Since he was arrested on May 3, 2023, and had already served the required term, the court also adjusted the additional imprisonment prescribed for failure to pay the fine against the time he had spent in custody beyond his reduced sentence.
The court said the additional detention period from April 20 to October 4, 2026, was sufficient to account for the four months and 14 days of imprisonment prescribed in lieu of the unpaid fine.
The court has directed the prison to release Rayamajhi on November 12, provided he deposits the Rs 1,600 compensation and is not required to remain in custody in connection with any other case.
Rayamajhi was arrested on May 3, 2023, and had remained in Dillibazar Prison pending trial in the case involving charges of fraud, document forgery, offences against the state and organised crime.
