The Supreme Court has decided to review its earlier verdict to commute the life imprisonment sentence of former DIG of Armed Police Force Ranjan Koirala.

The decision to review the erstwhile verdict passed by division bench of Chief Justice Cholendra SJB Rana and Justice Tej Bahadur KC on Thursday came on Sunday.

The decision comes in response to a review petition filed by the Office of the Attorney General on Friday following pressure from all sides to impeach Chief Justice Rana and Justice KC.

A three-member bench of justices Bam Kumar Shrestha, Prakash Kumar Dhungana and Kumar Regmi on Sunday accepted the review petition.

The decision paves way to send Koirala back to jail as he was able to get released through a controversial verdict.

On June 29, a division bench of Chief Justice (CJ) Cholendra Sumsher Rana and Justice Tej Bahadur KC had decided to shorten the life imprisonment sentence handed to Koirala by 11 years.

Koirala was found guilty of murdering his wife Gita Dhakal in January, 2012. Koirala had killed his wife at their Budhanilkantha residence, cut her body into pieces and burned them at Tistung of Makawanpur district.

Koirala was released on Thursday after serving eight-and-a-half years’ jail term.

Citing Section 188 of previous Muluki Ain and Section 17(1) of present Sentence Determination and Execution Act, 2017, the Supreme Court had stated that the objective to punish him was already met and there was no need to keep him in jail further as he is the sole guardian to his sons following the death of their mother.