People gathered at Maitighar and New Baneshwor on Friday to protest against the Supreme Court’s decision to shorten the prison sentence handed to Ranjan Koirala, a former deputy inspector general of the Armed Police Police Force, convicted of the murder of his wife eight-and-a-half years ago.

In Maitighar, protesters shouted slogans against Chief Justice Cholendra Sumsher Rana, who was one of the judges in the bench which handed out the verdict, demanding his impeachment. 

Police detained three protesters including Ranju Darsana, a youth leader, from New Baneshwor. All three were later released.

“They were detained for attempting to cross into the restricted area in New Baneshwor,” said SSP Shyam Lal Gyawali, Chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range. “But they were released later.”

A bench comprising Chief Justice Cholendra Sumsher Rana and Justice Tej Bahadur KC on June 29 decided to shorten the life imprisonment sentence ordered by a lower court by 11 years.

The Supreme Court, in its verdict, said it decided to shorten Koirala’s prison sentence as he has the responsibility to raise his children, who have been without their parents for a long time.

Kathmandu District Court had found Koirala guilty of pre-mediated murder of his wife Gita Dhakal in January 2012 and handed life imprisonment with confiscation of his property. Dhakal’s body had been cut into pieces and burnt.

The decision had later been upheld by the Patan Appellate Court.

Following the court’s verdict, Koirala was released on Thursday after serving eight-and-a-half years jail term, left of his sentence after the revision.

The Office of the Attorney General on the same day filed a petition at the Supreme Court seeking a review of the decision.