Dalit family of twelve remains stateless despite high court order in Nepal
A twelve-member Dalit family in Bishnupur, Saptari still lacks citizenship certificates even after a Janakpur High Court ruling ordering the local ward to issue them.
Laxmi Ram, a 60-year-old Dalit from Bishnupur Rural Municipality, has been unable to secure a citizenship certificate for himself and his twelve-member household since his father’s displacement by Koshi floods over fifty years ago. Without official identification, the family cannot access schooling, formal employment or state welfare. After repeated pleas to the ward office and the District Administration Office, the family filed a writ petition on 1 June 2026 at the Rajbiraj bench of the Janakpur High Court.
On 26 August 2026, judges Subhash Paudel and Kaji Bahadur Rai ruled in their favor, directing the ward to issue the Schedule-7 recommendation. Despite the court’s decision and a subsequent field inquiry, the ward office has delayed the paperwork, prompting the family to seek public support while the ward chairman, Lochan Sahu, claims to await legal advice.
Why it matters
The case highlights systemic barriers that keep marginalized Dalit families in Nepal stateless and excluded from basic rights.
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