The case of Charles Sobhraj, a French national notorious as a Bikini Killer, has been heard in a single sitting of Judge Anil Kumar Sinha. A habeas corpus petition filed by Sobhraj seeking release from jail due to age limit was heard in Sinha’s single sitting on Thursday.
Sobhraj, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court for his involvement in the murder of two foreign nationals in Nepal, had filed a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking release from prison due to his old age. The writ petition is the first in a single sitting of Judge Anil Kumar Sinha for Thursday.
The Prisons Regulations, 2020, provide for up to 75 percent imprisonment for Nepali citizens who have reached the age of 70 and are of good conduct. However, there is confusion as to what to do as the rules do not say anything about foreign prisoners. Sobhraj, on the other hand, has been claiming that he should get the facility as he has reached 77 years of age. Sobhraj has been insisting that he should also get the facility saying that the facility has been given to the foreign nationals who have behaved well in the past as well. However, the prison administration has been saying that no such precedent has been found in the case.
Sobhraj was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Kathmandu and Bhaktapur District Courts in separate cases 46 years ago in connection with the murder of Connie Joe Bronzic, an American woman, and Laurent Carrie, a Canadian citizen. Sobhraj, also known as ‘Bikini Killer’ and ‘Serial Killer’, has been accused of killing more than 20 people in India, Thailand, Turkey, Iran and other countries besides Nepal.
By Muna Chand
