The National Human Rights Commission on Thursday said it was concerned over the registration of a bill related to transitional justice in the Parliament.

In a statement on Thursday, the commission said the bill registered without necessary amendments and discussions among stakeholders is unlikely to deliver justice to the conflict victims.

“The hasty registration of the bill casts doubts if the laws will be formulated in a way to ensure justice to the victims. The bill should have been deliberated in the Parliament by incorporating suggestions obtained through wide-ranging discussions,” reads the statement.

According to the commission, the government did not consult the stakeholders while registering the bill.

“It has been found that the government registered the bill without enough discussions and consultations with the National Human Rights Commission, conflict victims and organisations working in the field of transitional justice on the draft of the bill,” Shyam Babu Kafle, assistant spokesperson for the commission, said the statement.

“The commission is determined that the transitional justice process should be concluded swiftly so that the right of the victims to get justice is ensured,” the statement further added.

The government on March 9 had registered a bill to amend the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Act at the Parliament Secretariat.

The new bill, like the previous one, hasn’t listed murder as a serious human rights violation, thereby leaving it as a crime fit for amnesty. It has instead listed cruel murder or murder after torture, rape, enforced disappearances and inhumane or cruel torture as serious rights violations. Those involved in serious rights violations will get prosecuted and not be considered for amnesty.

Murder, sexual violence, physical and mental torture, extrajudicial custody and other crimes, however, have been listed as cases of violations and are amnestiable if the victims give their consent. The amendment bill drafted by the erstwhile Sher Bahadur Deuba government in July last year had the same provisions which met with severe criticism from national and international quarters. The government didn’t table it for voting fearing a backlash.

Eight months later, the government has brought a ‘new bill’ but without revising the controversial provisions.