By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Sept. 19: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has granted amnesty to a total of 531 inmates serving sentence in prisons across the country on the occasion of Constitution Day (Sunday).
The convicts have been granted amnesty by the President on the recommendation of the government. The inmates were pardoned on the basis of Article 276 of the Constitution of Nepal.

According to a statement issued by the President’s Office on Saturday, Kishor Bhandari aka Purna Bahadur and seven others have been granted amnesty with the recommendation from the Cabinet on September 14. The pardon was granted as per Section 159 of the National Criminal Procedure (Code) Act, 2017.

Likewise, President Bhandari awarded amnesty to Harka Bahadur Rai and 522 others based on the Criminal Offences (Sentencing and Execution) Act, 2017; Senior Citizens Act, 2063; National Criminal Code, 2017; and the Act Relating to Children, 2018. The 523 inmates were also recommended for pardon by the Cabinet on September 14.

As per the statement, the pardon was also based on a mandamus by the Supreme Court over a writ (076-WO-0939) on August 3, 2020.
“The pardon will be implemented from September 19, 2021,” read the statement.