KATHMANDU, Aug 4: Patan High Court has ordered the release of medical entrepreneur Durga Prasai on bail in two different cases – banking offense and inciting violence.
Diwakar Puri, a government attorney at the court, told Republica that a division bench of high court judges Sudarshan Dev Bhatta and Munendra Prasad Awasthi issued the order on Monday, directing authorities that Prasai be released upon posting a bail amount of Rs 2.5 million in the banking offense case.
Similarly, a division bench of judges comprising Tanka Prasad Gurung and Dilli Ratna Shrestha ordered the release of Prasai on bail of Rs 300,000 in the violent pro-monarchy protest he led in Kathmandu on March 28.
“He has been granted bail of Rs 300,000 in the Tinkune incident. Now the order will go to the district court, and once the process is completed there, he will be released,” an information officer at the court, Parwati Hitan, told Republica.
Along with Prasai, other defendants were also granted bail. According to Hitan, the bail recipients include Sushil Baral, Dandapani Regmi, and Tara Rajawadi, also known as Saroj Gautam. Bail amounts have been set at Rs 50,000 for Sushil Baral, Rs 10,000 for Dandapani Regmi, and Rs 50,000 for Tara Rajawadi.
Four individuals, including Prasai, had appealed to the High Court seeking to overturn the Kathmandu District Court's order to remand them in custody for pre-trial detention.
On June 12, the Kathmandu District Court had ordered seven individuals, including Prasai, to be remanded in custody for further investigation.
He had been a central figure in the Joint People’s Movement Committee, a coalition pushing for the restoration of Nepal’s Hindu monarchy and the rollback of federal republicanism.
During the protest in the Tinkune area, demonstrators clashed with security personnel, set vehicles on fire and vandalized government and private property. Tragically, the incident led to the deaths of two individuals—a photojournalist and a protester—and left over 120 people injured.
Police have held Prasai responsible for inciting violence, encouraging protesters to break through police barricades and even attempting to run over police officers with his vehicle. These actions led to serious charges, including sedition, attempted murder, arson, vandalism and involvement in organized crime.
Following these developments, Prasai fled to India but was later arrested and brought back to Nepal in April 2025.
A case has been filed in court against 65 individuals — including four minors — on charges of crimes against the state, criminal unrest, and organized crime in connection with the pro-monarchy protest in Tinkune.
Other individuals accused in the case, including Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Senior Vice Chairman Rabindra Mishra and General Secretary Dhawal Shamsher Rana, have already been released.
The Kathmandu District Court ordered the release of Rana, who is also a lawmaker from the RPP, on April 20 on recognizance due to health reasons. Later on June 16, he was granted bail of Rs 300,000.
Similarly, the Kathmandu District Court released Mishra on June 17 on bail of Rs 300,000. Earlier on May 16, a division bench of Supreme Court Justices Kumar Chudal and Til Prasad Shrestha had ordered his release on a personal guarantee.
Mishra’s wife, Sarika Karki, had filed a habeas corpus petition at the SC on May 13, claiming that police had unlawfully detained her husband.