KATHMANDU: The government has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court’s decision acquitting former Nepali Congress lawmaker Mohammad Aftab Alam in a murder case.

The appeal was filed following the verdict by the Birgunj bench of the Janakpur High Court. The Office of the Attorney General submitted the appeal, expressing disagreement with the acquittal.

Concerns over serious procedural irregularities and improper evaluation of evidence in the High Court’s verdict prompted the appeal.

The Attorney General’s Office demands that all accused, including Alam, who were acquitted by the High Court be held guilty. The appeal also seeks accountability for those acquitted by district courts.

On May 28, the Birgunj bench of the Janakpur High Court acquitted Alam and others, overturning a previous life imprisonment sentence issued by the Rautahat District Court.

The case stems from a tragic incident on the eve of Nepal’s first Constituent Assembly elections on April 9, 2008, in Farhadwa, Rautahat district.

Mohammad Aftab Alam is accused of orchestrating an illegal bomb-making operation inside a farmhouse owned by his late uncle, Sheikh Idris, with the aim of spreading terror and manipulating the elections.

The explosives accidentally detonated, killing three people and critically injuring others. Rather than reporting the injured, Alam and his associates reportedly administered sedatives and burned the victims alive in a nearby brick kiln to destroy evidence.

This gruesome crime led to Alam’s conviction and life imprisonment by the Rautahat District Court. The High Court acquitted him, citing lack of concrete evidence, triggering a national debate over justice, political interference, and impunity in Nepal.