Delay in amending the laws has stalled transitional justice bodies’ work, the chiefs of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.

Speaking at a meeting of the Social Justice and Human Rights Committee of the Legislature-Parliament on Wednesday the chiefs of the two transitional bodies said they were facing difficulties in carrying out works due to the delay in amending the laws and lack of resources.

The two commissions were formed to investigate the crimes committed by the state and then Maoist rebels during the decade-long insurgency.

The TRC received around 58,000 complaints and the CIEDP 3,093 complaints during the two bodies’ two-year tenure.

The commission’s mandates were extended in February for one year.

However, not even a single case has been investigated due to lack of laws in line with the Supreme Court orders.

The commission has set up its offices in all seven provinces and carrying out its work, said TRC Chairman Gurung. But investigation into the complaints cannot move forward unless the law is amended.

According to Gurung, it has come to the TRC’s notice that there were still some conflict victims who missed the deadline for filing the complaints. “The TRC is considering issuing a notice on June 15, asking women conflict victims to file complains if they missed the earlier deadline,” said Gurung.

“We are awaiting the Legislature-Parliament to amend the laws in relation to extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, rape and torture which fall under the serious human rights violations,” said Gurung.

Similarly, CIEDP Chairman Lokendra Mallick said the commission could start investigation only after the laws are amended.

Committee members Gyanu Gaire, Geeta Chhetri, Kaishal Shah, Ram Maya Bogati and Basundhara Rokaya among others called for immediately starting the process to amend the laws to ensure justice to conflict victims.

House committee Chairman Sushil Kumar Shrestha directed the two commissions to inform the committee on the reasons why they were facing difficulties in carrying out their responsibilities.

“The committee will draw the attention of the authorities concerned to the concerns raised by the two commissions,” he said.