Kathmandu, Oct 5: A government-appointed committee studying the possibility of withdrawing criminal cases against Gen Z protesters has recommended dropping around 100 cases where evidence is insufficient or the amount of financial damage has not been established.
The committee, led by former High Court judge Baburam Regmi, submitted its report to Home Minister Sudhan Gurung on October 1 (Asoj 15). Former Deputy Attorney General Chetnath Ghimire and former DIG Poshraj Pokharel were members.
Gurung has forwarded the report to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers for a decision, as the Cabinet had formed the committee.
Police arrested and prosecuted people allegedly involved in incidents during the Gen Z protests on September 8 and 9, 2025 (Bhadra 23 and 24, 2082). Some remain in judicial custody pending trial.
The committee concluded that most criminal cases cannot be withdrawn under Section 116 of the National Criminal Procedure Code, 2017. However, it recommended withdrawing cases where the amount of damage has not been determined or evidence is insufficient.
A committee member said around 100 cases fall into this category.
Police received about 700 complaints over violent activities during the protests. The committee found that some cases recorded by police lacked sufficient evidence.
It recommended against withdrawing serious criminal cases, including those involving weapons and damage to government or private property.
The committee also concluded that serious cases listed under Schedule 1 of the Criminal Procedure Code cannot be withdrawn under existing law. However, the government could enact new legislation allowing such withdrawals.
The committee reviewed only cases in which investigations had been completed and charges filed in court.
Any withdrawal process can begin only after the Cabinet decides whether to implement the recommendations, according to a senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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