Kathmandu: The Sarlahi District Court on Monday sentenced Ram Bahadur Bomjan, a controversial spiritual leader, to 10 years in prison for child sexual abuse. A single bench of Judge Jeevan Kumar Bhandari also imposed an additional fine of Rs500,000 to Bomjan.
Bomjan had been convicted on June 24, with the sentencing hearing held today. However, his aides, Jit Bahadur Tamang and Gyan Bahadur Bomjan, were acquitted.
Bomjan, once called ‘Buddha Boy’ by some international media, is currently held in Jaleshwar jail. He was taken into custody on January 11 following an order by Judge Bishnu Prasad Regmi. Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau arrested Bomjan on January 9 at a house in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu.
Bomjan had been evading arrest since February 6, 2020, when the District Court, Sarlahi, issued a warrant at the police’s request. A case of sexual abuse was formally lodged against him in July 2020.
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