Systemic coronial delays finally end as remains of Bikram Lama are repatriated from Sydney

Eight months after his tragic death, the remains of thirty-two-year-old former international student Bikram Lama are finally being prepared for repatriation to his family in Makwanpur, Nepal. Bikram, who had been sleeping rough near Sydney’s Hyde Park, passed away unobserved in December, prompting widespread public outrage and intense scrutiny over the systemic failures that leave non-residents trapped in homelessness.

Following months of agonising waiting for his grieving seventy-one-year-old mother, Seti Maya Lama, the New South Wales coroner has released his body to a Sydney funeral service, allowing the family the opportunity to perform his final rites.

The prolonged delay in returning Bikram’s body was initially prolonged by mandatory DNA verification procedures, but persistent backlogs within the New South Wales coronial system extended the ordeal for months after testing was completed.

Legal experts and former judicial officials have highlighted the incident as evidence of flaws within the state’s coronial framework, citing a lack of dedicated police investigative units and poor inter-agency coordination.

With financial assistance provided by community organisations, international students, and the Nepalese government, Bikram’s family is preparing to receive his remains, while frontline advocates continue to push for a formal inquest to address the underlying homelessness crisis.