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Following the High Court’s (HC) judgement on 2nd June 2025 sentencing Member of Parliament (MP) Tashi Dorji from Nubi-Tangsibji Constituency (Trongsa), for child molestation, the MP has been arrested and detained until the Supreme Court (SC) hearing.
43-year-old MP Tashi Dorji appealed to the SC on 4th June 2025 on similar grounds that he appealed to the HC as inconsistencies in the statements of the victim and other witnesses.
Until the conviction by the HC, the MP has been attending the ongoing Parliament Session. However, now, with double conviction, the question is whether he will continue to sit in the session in the future.
The Speaker of the NA Lungten Dorji, said that after the detention of the MP, and though he has appealed to the SC, it will be difficult to allow him to participate in the upcoming Parliament Sessions. However, it would be best to wait for the SC judgment to come to a decision.
He shared that though the MP has been participating in the few sessions, he was not a member of any committee.
Further, he said that the House Committee is reviewing the verdict as the HC upheld the District Court’s verdict, and the Speaker cannot decide alone. “The House Committee will take the ultimate decision, and for that, a meeting will be held soon. Till then, nothing is sure as to what decision will be made,” the Speaker said.
Earlier, the MP was sentenced by HC to 3 years, 3 months and 21days of imprisonment affirming the decision of Trongsa Dzongkhag Court.
In his appeal to HC, in grounds of inconsistencies in the testimonies of the victim and other witnesses, he argued that these inconsistencies undermine the credibility of the evidence and that the case failed to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, as required for a criminal conviction. Furthermore, he contended that the victim’s mental health distress was not a result of the alleged incident, but rather attributable to her family background.
During the HC’s judgment, it noted that while there were minor inconsistencies in the testimonies of the witnesses, the core facts remained consistent and credible. It held that the material facts outweighed the immaterial ones, and that the defendant’s guilt was established beyond a reasonable doubt based on his own testimony and those of the witnesses, as per section 46(b) and 88 of the Evidence Act of Bhutan, 2005.
Additionally, the HC reviewed medical report submitted under Sections 22 and 48 of the Evidence Act of Bhutan 2005, confirming that the victim is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to the traumatic incident. The report recommended long-term counseling and regular psychiatric evaluation.
Background
On 10th April, 2025, Trongsa Dzongkhag Court convicted Member of Parliament (MP) from Nubi Tangsibji, Tashi Dorji, of child molestation and sentenced him to 3 years, 3 months, and 28 days imprisonment.
The judgment was rendered involving an incident that took place on 4th September, 2022 when the accused, then serving as a Gewog Administration Officer in Trongsa, allegedly molested a 14-year-old gilr while she was sick and bedridden.
At the time of the incident, the victim was at home with her younger sibling, while their parents were away collecting mushrooms.
Tashi Dorji, known to the victim’s family, entered the house under the pretense of checking on the girl’s health.
The accused found the victim lying under a blanket using her mobile phone. He then sent the victim’s younger brother, also a minor, outside to clean chicken bones in a drain that was not there.
The accused initially asked the victim’s younger brother, if the victim was sick, to which he replied affirmatively. Shortly after, the victim felt someone climbing the stairs, and upon looking up, saw him entering her room.
Shortly after, the accused placed his hand inside the victim’s Kira and touched her in inappropriate parts (left breast). Despite the victim’s clear protests, he continued, asking if she wanted to go to the hospital and suggesting they go to his house to retrieve a pencil he had previously borrowed from her younger brother.
The victim, distressed, began crying loudly, prompting the accused to leave.
Afterward, the victim asked her younger brother to call her friend and when she arrived, confided to her about the assault.
During the Dzongkhag court trial, the victim’s younger brother, testified that upon returning inside, he had seen accused in the house and initially thought he was simply touching his sister’s hand. However, after hearing her cry, he saw him leaving the house.
Subsequently, the victim exhibited drastic behavioral changes. Friends and witnesses described her as withdrawn and emotionally distressed.
During a 2023 school session on appropriate and inappropriate touching, she became visibly upset and later disclosed the incident to the school counselor, that she had been sexually assaulted by a neighbor in absence of her parents.
This prompted the school to report the incident to Trongsa Hospital, which later reported it to the Pema Secretariat, who reported it to Trongsa Police on 9th July, 2024.
