Supreme Court upholds life sentence for Sonam Norbu in Namgay Dolkar murder case

2026-02-20 - 07:34

The Supreme Court on 16th February 2026 upheld the High Court’s judgment sentencing 40-year-old Sonam Norbu to life imprisonment for the murder of 24-year-old Namgay Dolkar, dismissing his appeal. The case stems from the death of Namgay Dolkar in August 2023. On 13th December 2024, the Thimphu Dzongkhag Court had convicted Sonam Norbu of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced him to about 15 years in prison, ruling that premeditated malice had not been conclusively established. The Office of the Attorney General appealed the decision to High Court. On 27th March 2025, the High Court overturned the District Court’s ruling and convicted Sonam Norbu of murder, sentencing him to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court has now affirmed that judgment. Although there was no direct eyewitness or confession, the courts relied on circumstantial and corroborative evidence under the Evidence Act of Bhutan 2005 to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Initially, Sonam Norbu denied meeting the victim on 13th August 2023 (day of her death) and falsely claimed she had travelled to Nepal. CCTV footage and mobile phone records later contradicted his statement, showing that at 5:08 pm he informed the victim he had arrived at the NPPF colony in Thimphu. Footage captured him arriving in his vehicle, the victim leaving her house minutes later, and his vehicle parked at the colony entrance before departing the area. Investigations showed no further communication between the two after 5:08 pm, undermining his claim that he could not find her there and later met her elsewhere. CCTV and vehicle movement records indicated he drove out of Thimphu and returned through Thimphu gate around 9:20 pm. The victim’s body was later recovered from the Wang Chu (river) near Kariphu. Medical reports confirmed death due to asphyxiation caused by fatal neck pressure, with severe bruises and fractures inconsistent with suicide. Sonam Norbu later admitted that his actions led to her death, but claimed it was not intentional, alleging that a fight broke out and that the victim jumped into the river. The courts rejected this version, noting his failure to attempt any life-saving measures or report the incident to authorities, the victim’s family, or nearby residents. His defense was also rejected due to multiple inconsistencies and the presence of extensive injuries on the victim’s body. The High Court further examined Telegram messages exchanged a day before the incident. On 12th August 2023, Sonam Norbu had messaged the victim asking, “When shall we meet tomorrow?” The court considered this communication, along with evidence that he booked and cancelled a room on the day of the crime before arriving at the NPPF colony, as circumstantial evidence of premeditation. The court also noted inconsistencies in his statements, including his changing account of where he met the victim and his misleading information to investigators, which delayed the discovery of the body and indicated an attempt to conceal the crime. There was no evidence of any severe hardships or extraordinary circumstances in the victim’s life that would have led her to take her own life. This lack of evidence made the claim of suicide by Sonam implausible and provides circumstantial evidence that the victim was killed by the accused. Evidence showed that Sonam Norbu took the victim from the NPPF colony in his vehicle around 5.15 pm, drove to various places, and finally to Kariphu, with Sonam Norbu returning back to Thimphu city through Thimphu Gate at 9:20 pm. This provides circumstantial evidence that Sonam Norbu took Namgay Dolkar from the NPPF colony in his vehicle and killed her. There was no evidence that the victim travelled from the NPPF colony to