Nepal, Nov. 3 -- The Kathmandu District Court has directed Dillibazar Prison to release former minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi on November 12 after granting him a 25 percent reduction in his prison sentence under legal provisions for senior citizens.

Rayamajhi was sentenced to four years in prison in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam case on July 14. He was also fined Rs 40,000 and ordered to deposit Rs 1,600 as compensation into the Victim Relief Fund.

As Rayamajhi turns 65 on November 11, he qualified for a 25 percent sentence reduction under the law, which allows such a concession to senior citizens aged 65 and above. In an order issued on October 30, the court reduced his four-year sentence by one year.

With the reduction, his prison...