Nepal and India are preparing to sign a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
Officials from both countries are currently working to fix a date for signing the agreement, though discussions are ongoing on whether it should be signed before or after the upcoming election.
Preliminary consensus on the agreement was reached during a home secretary–level meeting held in New Delhi in July last year. Later, in October, the interim government led by Sushila Karki decided to proceed with signing the treaty.
Officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have confirmed that discussions are underway to finalize the signing process.
Once signed, the agreement is expected to help control cross-border crimes, facilitate information sharing, enable the exchange of investigation evidence, strengthen cooperation in prosecution, and enhance coordination between the legal and law enforcement agencies of both countries in criminal investigations. Nepal and India have been holding dialogues on this issue for several years.
About the Author
