Kathmandu: Legal practitioners emphasized taking forward the bill made to amend the Criminal Code by forging a consensus through discussions between the concerned agencies and individuals.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the participants of a discussion organized by the Forum for Women, Law and Development and the Centre for Reproductive Rights highlighted the importance of extensive discussions on the bill. They noted that stakeholders remained largely unaware of the bill, thus underscoring the need for comprehensive dialogue among all concerned parties.
Advocate Sabin Shrestha expressed concern that despite the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentarian Affairs posting the bill on its website and allowing a seven-day period for suggestions, many individuals were still not informed about it. He argued that the current environment was not conducive for stakeholders to stay updated on the developments.
In addition, Roshana Pradhan, an advocate with the Centre for Reproductive Rights, criticized the verdict of Morang’s High Court in a case involving a couple in a consensual relationship.
Moreover, advocates Prabila Bajracharya, Nabin Shrestha, and Sancharika Samuha’s Chairperson Kamala Panthi, among others, called for a broader consensus among agencies and experts before proceeding with revisions to the Criminal Code amendment bill.