9 September 2020: After multiple attempts, the District Attorney Office, Gaur Rautahat registered the FIR against 6 Police Personnel for their involvement in alleged torture and death of Bijaya Mahara, a 19-year-old Dalit boy from Garuda Rautahat. District Police Office (DPO) Rautahat refused to register the FIR on 8 September 2020, for the second time in a  row. Bijay Mahara was arrested on 15 August 2020, as a suspect in the murder of Niranjan Ram, a 17-year-old boy working in a local nursery. Following the refusal from the DPO to register the FIR, the victim’s father, Panilal Mahara moved to the District Attorney’s Office, requesting to order the DPO to register the FIR and initiate the investigation. The FIR has been filed against 6 police Personnel, including the Superintendent of Police (SP) Rabiraj Khadka and In-charge  and the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gyan Kumar Mahato including others.

2 September 2020: As the whole country is confronting with the crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic, the child correction home in Banke is likely to turn into hotspots of the COVID-19 outbreak due to overcrowding and insufficient amenities that are essential for decent living. The total holding capacity of the facility is 70 but the correction home is housing 109 children at the moment. Children are compelled to cram into available space, making the spread of Covid-19 inevitable.

28 August, Kathmandu: Following the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in various major cities of Rupandehi, including Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City and Siddhartha Municipality, there is a rise in the number of detainees being infected as well. As per Rupandehi Department of Health Service, the total tally of the cases of COVID-19 has reached to 760 in Rupandehi while 346 infected have already recovered and the death toll stands at 6 till 27 August 2020.

Kathmandu, 28 August 2020: After receiving the public grievances regarding the denial of  treatment of a pregnant woman infected with Covid-19 by provincial as well as other hospitals in Province 5, a team of more than 12 women human rights defenders from Rupandehi, led by advocate Indira Acharya of Advocacy Forum-Nepal submitted a memorandum to the Social Development Minister, Sudarshan Baral on 20 August 2020. Stating that lack of attention from the Provincial Government regarding emergency services including delivery service for pregnant women, is indeed disgraceful to all women. The team urged Minister Baral to arrange such services within 24 hours. Accepting the Memorandum, Minister Baral stated that it is not possible to arrange the services within 24 hours as the pregnant woman infected with Covid-19 may need to undergo surgery which as per the Protocol related to Covid-19 requires higher level services and such services can be mandated by the Central Government only. He further clarified that Provincial Government requires permission from the Central Government to resume such services, making it time-consuming at present. However, he assured that the Provincial Government is serious about this issue and will regulate the services to avoid any immediate problems regarding the treatment.

28 August 2020, Kathmandu: Area Police Office (APO), Butwal has arrested 10 members of Biplab-led group from Butwal Sub-Metropolis on July 31, 2020. They were participating in a meeting at the house of Bam Bahadur Tharu located in ward no 17, the police source informed. Police further claimed that some of them were found to be armed and the investigation is underway. The police further informed that three of those arrested are under investigation for violating public morality and seven others are being investigated for possession of arms and ammunition. When taken to the Rupandehi District Court for jail/bail hearing on 25 August 2020, the Court stated that no hearing will be conducted without the PCR test of detainees. Their swabs were collected for the PCR test, but their reports did not come on time and the deadline to present them in the Court expired. Rupandehi Department of Health Service stated that 9 out of 10 detainees tested positive for the COVID-19. 

Kathmandu, 23 August 2020: The inmates in Banke district prison are under threat of corona virus infection due to high number of prisoners, new prisoners coming wihtout PCR test and infection cured prisoners are brought back in the prison. The Banke District Prison can shelter 350 (300 males and 50 females) inmates, however, currently it is housing 773 inmates. After the ruling of High Court, Nepalgunj bench, a total of 45 female inmates were transferred to prisons based in Dalekh and Bardiya districts on 11 August. However, after that 26 new male inmates were sent to the Banke district prison.

6 July 2020: Banke-based prison has been sealed after 7 inmates were found to have contracted the coronavirus. According to Devendra Shrestha, a jailor, swabs of 21 prisoners were collected, out of which, 7 of the inmates tested positive for COVID-19. 

6 August 2020: Following the spike in the COVID-19 cases, the increased risk and the measures to combat infection in Child Correction Home becomes more inevitable than ever. Bimala Kaucha (in-charge of the Child Correction Home at Daduwa Rural Municipality, Banke) informed that the children in the correction homes have so far tested negative for the coronavirus. However, with various District Courts continue to issue orders to detain juveniles in correction homes, the influx of children at Banke- based correction home is never-ending. Kachua shared that no polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is conducted on children sent to the correction homes, completely flouting the order of Nepalgunj High Court. The ongoing practice has posed an imminent risk of the possible outbreak of the infection in the child correction home.

6 August 2020: The regular proceedings at the Banke District Court and High Court Tulsipur Banke Bench have once again been affected with the prohibitory order in place. The District Administrative Office (DAO) issued a prohibitory order on 2 August 2020 in a bid to control the spread of the infection and to prevent more people from getting infected. The Court had just resumed its regular services as the lockdown orders were lifted on 21 July 2020. 

27 July 2020, Banke: Advocacy Forum-Nepal together with other human rights organizations and advocates registered a writ petition on 23 July 2020 at the High Court Tulispur- Nepalgunj bench demanding protection of right to life and health of detainees and prisoners with District Administration Office Banke, Prison Office Banke, and Child Correction Home, Health Office etc as defendants. The writ petition demanded the Court to protect the right to life, right to be safe from communicable diseases, right to health, right to legal counselling of detainees and also conduct PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing and other necessary health facilities of the detainees and prisoners. Furthermore, the writ also demanded to provide personal protection equipment (PPE) for the security personnel in contact with the detainees. The application further demanded to conduct compulsory PCR testing of the detainees before they are presented to the Courts or sent to prison or Child Correction Home, not to house more prisoners than the maximum capacity of a prison. Despite the constitutionally guaranteed right of the detainees to consult legal professionals, such right has not been implemented in practice so the petition also demanded the arrangement of a separate and secured unit for legal counselling. The petition further demanded for an interim order against the defendants as per Rule 42(1) of the High Court Regulations 2016 and Section 158(2) of Muluki Civil Procedural Code 2017 has also been demanded from the Court.