While a section of the insurgency-era victims is demanding dismissal of incumbent leadership of the transitional justice commissions, the government has assured full support to the commissions to complete their work.

In a meeting with the office bearers from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on Tuesday, Finance Minister Rameshore Khanal assured the financial support needed to conclude the transitional justice process.

“Our chairperson requested for the allowances to the staff in the commission as they have to work extra hours. The minister has given his assurances,” said Achyut Bhandari, spokesperson for the commission.

The incumbent office bearers of the TRC and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons were appointed by the erstwhile KP Sharma Oli government, ignoring reservations from some victims and human rights groups.

The Sushila Karki government, which was unwilling to entertain the leadership from commissions initially, has started extending support to them. Only on Monday, the Cabinet endorsed a set of regulations paving the way to create a fund to support the relief and reparations to the conflict victims. The very next day, Khanal promised budgetary support to the commission.

According to officials from the two commissions, Karki was negative towards them because Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal stood against them. Aryal, who has been an activist, wanted to replace them, the officials said. “Things changed positively after our meeting with the law minister who is very positive towards us,” said an office bearer from the TRC.

On October 16, a group led by Ram Bhandari, coordinator of the National Network of the Victims of Serious Human Rights Violations, presented a memo to the prime minister’s chief advisor Ajaya Bhadra Khanal demanding removal of the incumbent team and replacing them with a new one appointed through transparent process.

Government officials also agree that despite lobbying by some victim groups and human rights activists against the commission, the incumbent government is committed to facilitating the process. “Endorsement of the regulations is a testimony that it is willing to facilitate the ongoing process,” said a senior official at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

In another decision, the Nepal Administrative Staff College has approved the TRC’s organisation and management (O&M) survey. The commission proposed to increase its staff at the secretariat from existing 89 to 124 and additional 240 positions to be mobilised in different districts to commence investigations. The commission plans to mobilise 60 teams, each of which comprises four people experienced in investigations, to the various places for the detailed investigation.

It proposed one position of under secretary and non-gazetted first class staffer and two positions of section officers for each group. The college approving its proposal has sent the survey to the law ministry. The new positions will be sanctioned after securing approval from the Ministry of Finance.

The law ministry is also finalising the regulations of both the commissions. “We are working on them. It might take around a month for their endorsement,” said Man Bahadur Aryal, a joint secretary at the commission.

Following their appointments in May, the new teams in both the commissions solicited new complaints from victims. The victims, across the country, lodged 15,191 new complaints at the TRC, taking the total count to 78,909. It already had 63,718 cases pending. Likewise, the disappearance commission has received 68 new cases. It has around 2,500 cases pending.

However, both the commissions have yet to commence the investigation in the lack of regulations and other logistics. The Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act has allocated four years to accomplish their jobs. As they have already completed six months, they effectively have three and a half years to complete the investigation, recommend reparations, and prosecution.