KATHMANDU, May 3: The Patan High Court has convicted Prithvi Bahadur Malla, who was accused in the car accident case in Budhanilkantha three and a half years ago.

A joint bench of judges Rajendra Kharel and Jagdish Ghimire found Malla guilty on the charge of careless driving. The High Court of Patan has not determined the punishment yet.

In case of imprisonment for more than three years, there is a legal provision that a separate hearing should be held for determining the sentence. Therefore, in this case, the court will sentence Malla to prison for at least three years.

Three years ago, Leela Devkota, who was out on a morning walk in Budhanilkantha, died after being hit by a vehicle driven by drunken Prithvi Bahadur Malla. In this case, the public prosecutor demanded 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 100,000.

Earlier, the District Court of Kathmandu found Malla guilty but sentenced him to six months imprisonment and a fine of only Rs 1,000. The Public Prosecutor's Office appealed to the High Court saying that the sentence less considering the gravity of the crime.

In the incident that took place on December 13, 2019, the District and High Courts of Patan had ordered the detention of the accused. However, the bench of Judge Sapana Pradhan Malla of the Supreme Court ordered Malla to be released on a general date saying that he had mental problems.

 
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