Kathmandu, June 13 -- In 2006, Sanjeev Rokka of Rupandehi married another woman while already married to Chanda Roka. Chanda went to court in 2008. A district court convicted him of bigamy and sentenced him to one year in prison and a fine of Rs5,000.

Sixteen years later, the Supreme Court in 2024 overturned the district court's decision. The bench observed that bigamy had indeed occurred, but Sanjeev had to be acquitted because Chanda had failed to register her complaint within the absolute "three-month limitation period from the date she became aware of the second marriage."

A legal question concerning the limitation period for prosecuting bigamy had already been settled by a full bench of the Supreme Court in 2006. In a landmark ruli...