A youth kept in detention for 20 days last month for posting negative comment about Nepal Police on Facebook has been acquitted by a Kathmandu court.
Judge Kul Prasad Sharma of Kathmandu district court gave a clean chit to Mohammad Abdul Rahman, 25, a businessman from Saptari district of Nepal bordering India, on Tuesday.
The court held that since the comment didn’t amount to defamation, slander or loss there was no reason to proceed with the case. Judge Sharma also asked the police not to file such frivolous cases in future.
“I am happy with the verdict. I just hope no one else has to go through the experience I had,” Rahman told journalists after the order.
The police had filed a cyber crime case against the businessman under provision of the Electronic Transaction Act and was seeking a five year jail term plus a fine of NRs 100,000.
Rahman was detained last month after he commented on the social networking site that he had to pay a bribe to get back his stolen motorbike, which had been recovered by the police.
The businessman was commenting on a report carried by a local newspaper which hailed the district police for tackling crime effectively.
{{/usCountry}}The businessman was commenting on a report carried by a local newspaper which hailed the district police for tackling crime effectively.
{{/usCountry}}Despite all cyber crime cases being handled in Kathmandu, the district police kept him in custody for nearly three weeks before producing him before a court in the capital.
He was immediately granted bail by the court.
Cyber crime cases are new to Nepal and police action in Rahman’s case had led to debates on the Internet and media about freedom of expression and applicability of cyber crime laws.
“There is an urgent need to draft a new law that specifically addresses social media,” The Kathmandu Post had commented in an editorial following Rahman’s arrest.A youth kept in detention for 20 days last month for posting negative comment about Nepal Police on Facebook has been acquitted by a Kathmandu court.
Judge Kul Prasad Sharma of Kathmandu district court gave a clean chit to Mohammad Abdul Rahman, 25, a businessman from Saptari district of Nepal bordering India, on Tuesday.
The court held that since the comment didn’t amount to defamation, slander or loss there was no reason to proceed with the case. Judge Sharma also asked the police not to file such frivolous cases in future.
“I am happy with the verdict. I just hope no one else has to go through the experience I had,” Rahman told journalists after the order.
The police had filed a cyber crime case against the businessman under provision of the Electronic Transaction Act and was seeking a five year jail term plus a fine of NRs 100,000.
Rahman was detained last month after he commented on the social networking site that he had to pay a bribe to get back his stolen motorbike, which had been recovered by the police.
The businessman was commenting on a report carried by a local newspaper which hailed the district police for tackling crime effectively.
Despite all cyber crime cases being handled in Kathmandu, the district police kept him in custody for nearly three weeks before producing him before a court in the capital.
He was immediately granted bail by the court.
Cyber crime cases are new to Nepal and police action in Rahman’s case had led to debates on the Internet and media about freedom of expression and applicability of cyber crime laws.
“There is an urgent need to draft a new law that specifically addresses social media,” The Kathmandu Post had commented in an editorial following Rahman’s arrest.A youth kept in detention for 20 days last month for posting negative comment about Nepal Police on Facebook has been acquitted by a Kathmandu court.
Judge Kul Prasad Sharma of Kathmandu district court gave a clean chit to Mohammad Abdul Rahman, 25, a businessman from Saptari district of Nepal bordering India, on Tuesday.
The court held that since the comment didn’t amount to defamation, slander or loss there was no reason to proceed with the case. Judge Sharma also asked the police not to file such frivolous cases in future.
“I am happy with the verdict. I just hope no one else has to go through the experience I had,” Rahman told journalists after the order.
The police had filed a cyber crime case against the businessman under provision of the Electronic Transaction Act and was seeking a five year jail term plus a fine of NRs 100,000.
Rahman was detained last month after he commented on the social networking site that he had to pay a bribe to get back his stolen motorbike, which had been recovered by the police.
The businessman was commenting on a report carried by a local newspaper which hailed the district police for tackling crime effectively.
Despite all cyber crime cases being handled in Kathmandu, the district police kept him in custody for nearly three weeks before producing him before a court in the capital.
He was immediately granted bail by the court.
Cyber crime cases are new to Nepal and police action in Rahman’s case had led to debates on the Internet and media about freedom of expression and applicability of cyber crime laws.
“There is an urgent need to draft a new law that specifically addresses social media,” The Kathmandu Post had commented in an editorial following Rahman’s arrest.A youth kept in detention for 20 days last month for posting negative comment about Nepal Police on Facebook has been acquitted by a Kathmandu court.
Judge Kul Prasad Sharma of Kathmandu district court gave a clean chit to Mohammad Abdul Rahman, 25, a businessman from Saptari district of Nepal bordering India, on Tuesday.
The court held that since the comment didn’t amount to defamation, slander or loss there was no reason to proceed with the case. Judge Sharma also asked the police not to file such frivolous cases in future.
“I am happy with the verdict. I just hope no one else has to go through the experience I had,” Rahman told journalists after the order.
The police had filed a cyber crime case against the businessman under provision of the Electronic Transaction Act and was seeking a five year jail term plus a fine of NRs 100,000.
Rahman was detained last month after he commented on the social networking site that he had to pay a bribe to get back his stolen motorbike, which had been recovered by the police.
The businessman was commenting on a report carried by a local newspaper which hailed the district police for tackling crime effectively.Despite all cyber crime cases being handled in Kathmandu, the district police kept him in custody for nearly three weeks before producing him before a court in the capital.
He was immediately granted bail by the court.
Cyber crime cases are new to Nepal and police action in Rahman’s case had led to debates on the Internet and media about freedom of expression and applicability of cyber crime laws.
“There is an urgent need to draft a new law that specifically addresses social media,” The Kathmandu Post had commented in an editorial following Rahman’s arrest.