Request for a dedicated bench to hear cooperative fraud cases

Kathmandu, Aug 1: The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration has submitted a report to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court requesting the formation of a dedicated bench to hear cooperative fraud cases in order to adjudicate them quickly and expeditiously.

As the number of cooperative fraud cases is increasing, a request has been made to form a dedicated bench at the apex court to resolve the case. The report prepared by the Ministry after forming a task force on the need and justification for forming a dedicated bench has been submitted to the Chief Justice, according to the minister’s private secretariat.

The ministry had formed a study task force after the Supreme Court, in a directive order issued last year, ordered to study and implement the findings to establish dedicated benches in district courts where the number of cooperative fraud cases is high.

Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration Pratibha Rawal, along with the members of the task force, submitted the report to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Dr. Manoj Sharma.

The report concludes that a dedicated bench is needed with special priority for effective and speedy hearing of such cases. When cooperative fraud cases remain pending for a long time, the victims will not be able to get their savings back, justice will be delayed and the culprits will be given various forms of protection.

The report concludes that the formation of a dedicated bench is indispensable to provide timely justice to the victims, restore public confidence in the financial cooperatives sector and maintain good financial governance.