| English | Dzongkha | Monday, April 19, 2021 |
The Thimphu District Court sentenced a 74-year-old man to three months and four nights in prison for harassment as per section 462 of the Penal Code of Bhutan. The offence of harassment is a petty misdemeanour. The man, Sonam Wangdi, had circulated intimate videos of himself with a woman on social media last year.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prosecutors of the Office of the Attorney General could not reach the districts to prosecute cases. So, the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) was given the power of attorney to prosecute. And this has come as a challenge for them. However, to ease those challenges, Bhutan National Legal Institute is conducting training on trial advocacy for police prosecutors in Haa since Monday.
The battery continues to be one of the leading crimes in Thimphu. According to the Police, almost 250 battery cases were recorded last year. However, compared to the previous years, it has decreased in 2020. The decrease, according to the Police is due to intensive patrolling.
The Trongsa District Court sentenced a 30-year-old man from Phuntshothang Gewog under Samdrup Jongkhar to 11 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. He was found guilty of two counts of battery, criminal attempt to escape from lawful custody and voluntary manslaughter. The court passed the judgment recently.
The Monggar District Court sentenced a 36-year-old man from Balam Gewog in Monggar to five years in prison for the illicit trafficking of hashish. The judgment was passed yesterday.
The Trashi Yangtse District Court, today, sentenced a 34-year-old man from Khamdang Gewog under Trashi Yangtse Dzongkhag to life imprisonment for vandalising a chorten.
The Larger Bench of the High court today upheld the High Court’s judgment that convicted Home Minister Sherab Gyeltshen. The minister was sentenced to two months in prison for a false vehicle insurance claim worth over Nu 200,000.
The Thimphu District Court conducted the opening statement of the defendants accused of the commission of criminal conspiracy, mutiny, abettor of mutiny and other criminal offences today. Pema Gatshel Drangpon Yeshi Dorji and the representatives of the two defendants, Justice Kuenlay Tshering and former RBG Commandant Brigadier Thinley Tobgay, attended the hearing. However, defendant Khandu Wangmo could not attend the hearing due to health reasons.
The Sarpang District Court in a judgement yesterday upheld the Umling Dungkhag Court’s ruling concerning the case of a 37-year-old businesswoman who travelled to Thimphu last year without following the COVID-19 emergency travel protocol. The Dungkhag Court sentenced her to three months in prison last month. However, the police appealed to the district court for the highest penalty.
The Austrian Government has committed to funding the construction of a National Forensic Facility in Thimphu. The lack of such a facility has been a major setback in providing evidence thereby delaying justice. This was highlighted during the first-ever joint investigation and prosecution training that kicked off yesterday in Paro.