Convict marries rape victim, returns to prison with bride

By Binay Karna,Saptari, (Kalyanpur), Nov. 3: A strange incident blending love and crime has become the talk of the town in Saptari district. At the centre of attention is 24-year-old Shatrughan Mukhiya, a resident of Mahadeva Rural Municipality-4, Saptari.

Mukhiya, who had escaped from the Saptari District Prison in Rajbiraj during the Gen-Z protest, returned to prison several weeks later, but this time, with his newly-wedded bride by his side.

Although it may sound like a romantic story, the case is deeply complex from both legal and social perspectives. Two years ago, Shatrughan had been sentenced by the Saptari District Court to 12 years in prison for the rape of a minor girl, who was, in fact, his neighbour Jyoti Mukhiya, 19, now his wife.

According to reports, Shatrughan escaped from prison on September 9, and the very next day (September 10), married Jyoti at the local Kamalamai Temple in the presence of villagers and elders. After the marriage, he stayed at Jyoti’s home until October 5. When the prison administration issued a notice instructing him to surrender by October 6, he complied and returned voluntarily to the Saptari District Prison, accompanied by his new bride.

Before surrendering, the couple told reporters, “We were in love. It was not a case of rape.”

However, the legal verdict says otherwise. Two years ago, the Saptari District Court found Shatrughan guilty of rape and sentenced him to 12 years in prision.

Shatrughan maintains that their relationship was consensual and based on love, and that they had a physical relationship with mutual consent. The court, however, determined that Jyoti was underage at the time and convicted him based on the victim’s complaint and police reports. He was subsequently imprisoned. Mukhiya has now filed an appeal at the High Court, Janakpur–Rajbiraj Bench, seeking justice.

Jyoti, on her part, said that her father had initially refused to accept their relationship, which led him to file a police complaint accusing Shatrughan of rape. “Even now, my father, Raghul, refuses to recognise our marriage,” she said.

According to Jyoti, the two were in love from the beginning, but family opposition led to the conflict. “After my father filed the complaint, Shatrughan was imprisoned. I signed the papers as told by my family and villagers, and that very document sent him to jail,” she said. Jyoti is now one-and-a-half months pregnant.

Although Shatrughan’s voluntary return to prison after his escape has been viewed as a positive gesture, the Saptari Prison Office Chief, Ganga Lal Yogi, said that he still has around 10 years of his sentence left to serve.

Legal expert Satish Kumar Dutta said that although Nepal’s Civil Code prohibits marriage before the age of 20, the court may consider the situation with humanitarian understanding given the changed circumstances. He, however, added that both families’ consent would be crucial in resolving the matter positively.