CWAD on the behalf of working group network took an appointment with Chairperson Madhav Poudel and Secretary Lila Devi Gadtaula (Niraula) of Nepal Law Commission on 29th March 2021 at their office premises. The objective of this meeting was to submit the Teen Mahale on Civil Code 2074, and Criminal Code 2074 for consideration during the amendment of those codes from the GESI perspective.
As we were aware of the work in progress of amendment of the Civil Code 2074, and Criminal Code 2074 by the Nepal Law Commission. We felt an urgency to submit our Teen Mahale as the Nepal Law Commission were in their last phase of finalizing the Criminal Code. Thus, keeping the new COVID-19 restriction in place a small group of representatives were able to attend the meeting. Among which were CWAD Advisory Board Members Prof. Dr Shashi Adhikary and Senior Advocate Suneeta Regmi, CWAD Chairperson-Dr. Anita Shrestha, CWAD team members Prasanna Raut and Bhagyashree Rawal and Advocate Uma Tamang from Maiti Nepal.
Nepal Law Commission Chairperson Madhav Poudel expressed his sincere gratitude to CWAD and working group network members for their suggestions and recommendation in the form of Teen Mahale. He further added that the criminal code 2074, was in the process of finalization of amendments. And later will be submitted to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs very soon for further action. Furthermore, he added that the committee will take Criminal Code Teen Mahale into consideration during their finalization process. While briefly going through during the meeting, he mentioned that many of the suggested provision has been incorporated or addressed into the new suggested amendment for the criminal code. Saying that he also emphasized on studying our submitted Teen Mahale line by line and present among the amendment committee meeting on 30th March 2021.
Similarly, Secretary Lila Devi Gadtaula (Niraula) of the Nepal Law Commission was overwhelmed to see the effort to collaborate with various organizations and women advocates to prepare and submit a written recommendation regarding the reform in the laws and policies. As she has rarely seen such moments during her tenure in Nepal Law Commission. She was grateful to CWAD and the working group network for their hard work on preparing Teen Mahale on Criminal and Civil Code from a GESI perspective. In the context of civil code reform, she informed that the code will be studied and reviewed in the upcoming financial year. Thus, the submitted Teen Mahale of Civil Code will be very helpful to view the codes from a GESI perspective as well. She even requested the CWAD team as well as working group network to attend those forthcoming meetings regarding taking feedback and suggestion in future to reform the Civil Code.
The meeting with the representative was very fruitful and full of commitment that would help attain the output and objective as well as the sustainability of the program. In the end, both Chairperson Madhav Poudel and Secretary Lila Devi Gadtaula (Niraula) gave a vote of thanks to the CWAD team and working group network members as well for their commitment to review the Civil Code and Criminal Code from the GESI perspective.