The District Court of Dhanusha has slapped a life term on former parliamentarian Sanjay Sah ‘Takala’ for his involvement in 2012 Janakpur blast that killed five people and left 32 injured.

The bomb blast took place at Ramanand Chowk of Janakpur on April 30, 2012 amidst a peaceful hunger strike demanding the formation of Mithila state. The bomb blast claimed the lives of two artists of Mithila Dance Council Ranju Jha and Bimal Upadhyay, as well as locals Suresh Upadhyay, Jhagaru Das and Dipendra Das. Dipendra died while receiving treatment in Kathmandu while the other four died on the spot.  

The then Member of Parliament Sah has been in police custody for the last six years on the charge of masterminding the blast. 

Sah, who has been accused of executing the blast, was elected as a member of the second Constituent Assembly from Janakpur some months before the accusation against him was made public. Police had presented him before the court claiming that their investigation into the case led to the conclusion that Sah was the mastermind behind the incident.  

The District Court had ordered the police to keep Sah under custody. The court started the hearings of the case, six years after the order was given.