Tek Nath Rizal’s Jail Stay Persists Due to Inability to Pay Bail

Tek Nath Rizal, a Bhutanese pro-democracy leader, who was recently granted bail in the fake Bhutanese refugees scam by the Patan High Court, is yet to be released from the Central Jail. While six others have been released after posting bail, Rizal remains behind bars as he reportedly struggles to gather the required bail amount.

The joint bench of judges, comprising Janak Pandey and Prakash Kharel, had on December 1 ordered the release of Rizal on a bail of Rs 1.50 million along with six others, who promptly secured their release by submitting the necessary bail amounts. However, Rizal has not yet posted his bail and has expressed a lack of financial means to do so.

According to Sundhara Lalit Basnet, the Jailer at the Central Jail, Rizal appears content with his current situation, stating, “He has not showed much interest in posting the bail amount. He says that he does not have that much money to pay the bail amount. He says that he is fine even here.”

Rizal’s wife regularly visits him, and other relatives and friends occasionally turn up at the jail. Basnet noted that Rizal spends his time studying books at the jail’s library and speculates that he may be preparing to write a book.

The bench, which heard petitions from 20 defendants challenging the Kathmandu District Court’s order to send them to judicial custody, had also ordered the release of other individuals on bail. However, differences among the judges emerged regarding the release of former home minister and Nepali Congress leader Bal Krishna Khand.

While one judge suggested a bail of Rs 3 million for Khand, another argued that he should be kept in custody. The fate of Khand’s release will be decided by another bench. Additionally, other individuals, including Khand’s personal secretary Narendra KC and president of Nepal Hajj Committee Shamsher Miya, were granted bail on varying amounts.

The District Government Attorney’s Office (DGAO), Kathmandu, has named 30 individuals as defendants in the case, filing charges of fraud, organized crime, forgery, and offenses against the state. Of these, 20 have been arrested, while 10 others remain at large. The case stems from an investigation report submitted by the police on May 24, leading to the Kathmandu District Court’s order to send 17 defendants to judicial custody and releasing three on bail.