Kathmandu, June 12 -- The Supreme Court has directed the government to enact laws criminalising the recruitment and use of children under the age of 18 in military forces and to classify such acts as serious human rights violations.

A full bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla, Sunil Pokharel and Shanti Singh Thapa issued the ruling in response to a writ petition filed by former Maoist combatant Lenin Bista.

Bista had challenged amendments to two transitional justice laws, arguing that they failed to address the concerns of former child soldiers associated with the decade-long Maoist insurgency.

In its ruling, the court ordered the government to introduce legal provisions making the recruitment or use of children in armed forces a pun...