KATHMANDU, NOV 01 - The judicial probe commission formed by the government to look into the murder of Supreme Court Justice Rana Bahadur Bam has failed to find a reason for the murder, according to officials.

The commission, led by former apex court justice Prem Sharma, on Wednesday submitted its report to the government.

The officials said the commission has recommended that authorities continue further investigations. The government has yet to make the report public. The members of the probe were Joint Attorney Prem Raj Karki and AIG Naresh Gurung.

The status of the case is now uncertain, an official of the commission told the Post.

While admitting a failure to ascertain the motive and find the culprits, the commission has recommended the government improve security for judges and the entire judiciary.

The recommendations also include "adequate" training to personal security officers and drivers and allocating joint quarters to judges and justices. The probe has further recommended creating a separate unit in the Nepal Police, comprising 1,000 personnel, under a Superintendent of Police (SP) for the security of all three court tiers across the country.

Former AIG Keshav Baral said it will not be appropriate if the government is planning to close the case too early as investigations may take longer because Bam's murder appears to be carried out by an organised group and to convey a particular message.

"The case may have many dimensions and those need to be carefully examined. Investigations cannot be completed within a short period of time," Baral told the Post.

Justice Bam had been barred from hearing cases for the past year-and-a-half years after being indicted of misconduct for releasing three notorious criminals arrested under the Arms and Ammunition Act. In May, two men fired four bullets through the left window of Bam's Ford Fiesta into his neck, chest, armpit and belly. Bam's friend Ram Giri and Personal Security Officer Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Mahesh Giri were also injured in the incident.

The Home Ministry had formed a panel led by then AIG Kuber Singh Rana to look into the murder. But following widespread criticism, the government formed another probe commission led by Sharma on June 21. The commission's term expired on August 23, but was extended by a month.