President Ramchandra Paudel on Thursday (August 29) authenticated the bill to amend the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act. 
  
The President assented to the Bill in accordance with Article 113 (2) of the Constitution, the Office of the President said.

The Bill was submitted to the President for authentication following its endorsements by both houses of parliament recently. The Upper Houser had unanimously endorsed the bill on August 22 after the Lower House passed it with a majority on August 14.

However, conflict victims and national and international human rights organisations have deemed some of the provisions in the bill flawed and demanded revisions.

While the human rights watchdogs have said that the new law included several significant improvements and positive provisions, some parts appear to be intended to protect those who have committed crimes during the decade-long conflict from prosecution, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists said in a joint statement on August 20. 

“Nepal’s long-awaited transitional justice law, adopted by the lower house of parliament on 14 August 2024, incorporates many positive provisions that could help in advancing justice, accountability, and redress for the widespread human rights violations and abuses committed during the 1996-2006 conflict, but still has elements that could undermine a successful outcome,” reads the statement.

The rights organisations have accused the governmnet of not holding emough consultations with the victims' families during the drafting of the bill. Among the flawed provisions was the the vague categorisation of human rights violations as serious and non-serious, according to the  rights organisation.

Earlier this month, a three-member task force formed to sort out disagreements among the major political parties on the bill had reached an agreement, which was later approved by the top leadership of the major political parties.

(With inputs from RSS)