Kathmandu: A Right to Information (RTI) petition has been filed at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers demanding that the report of the inquiry commission formed to investigate the incidents of Bhadra 23 and 24 be made public.
Demand to Release Commission Report
The petition was submitted by 19 individuals, including former administrators, seeking the publication of the report prepared by the commission led by former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki.
According to the petitioners, the report is a matter of public concern but has not been made available on the official government website. They have therefore requested that a copy or digital version of the report be provided.
The request was filed under Sections 3, 6 and 7 of the Right to Information Act 2064, which guarantee citizens’ access to public information.
Petition Signed by Former Officials
Among those signing the petition are former administrator Dr. Dwarikanath Dhungel, Dipendranath Jha, Manil Sheikh, Surendra Kumar Pujari, Ritendra Deep, Tilak Bahadur Shahi, and others.
Dhungel said that 17 names have currently been listed in the petition, while former ambassador and retired assistant commissioner Bharat Bahadur Rayamajhi and advocate Atish Karki have not yet been included. He added that several others have also shown interest in supporting the initiative.
Report Submitted but Not Made Public
The commission led by Karki submitted its report to Prime Minister Sushila Karki on February 24. While handing over the report, Chairman Karki said the commission had conducted its investigation honestly and included its findings without bias.
He also noted that the report contains recommendations aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future, stating that governance weaknesses and institutional distortions contributed to the events.
Prime Minister Karki, while accepting the report, said that she and the Home Minister would study it before presenting it to the Council of Ministers. She also indicated that the government would consider making the report public, at least in summary form if the entire document could not be released immediately.
However, the report has not yet been presented to the Council of Ministers nor made public, prompting the RTI petition demanding transparency.
