KATHMANDU, April 30: Resham Chaudhary, the mastermind behind the Tikapur carnage and the patron of the Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP), has been released from the Dillibazar prison following his brief and unauthorized detention on Wednesday.
Chaudhary, who was arrested by the police based on an unauthorized letter from the Supreme Court (SC), was freed after the SC issued another letter directing his release later in the day.
Chaudhary was arrested from Nepal Academy, just as the unification program between the NUP and Janamat Party was about to begin. The Kathmandu Police arrested him and took him to Dillibazar Jail after receiving a letter from the SC’s Writ and Case Division instructing his detention. However, the SC administration itself was unaware of the letter, which caused significant uproar within the court throughout the day.
Hearing postponed on case filed by Resham Chaudhary against EC...
It was later revealed that Mahiman Singh Bista, the section officer at the SC’s Writ and Case Division, had sent the letter without authorization, leading to his arrest.
The SC has sought explanation from Bista regarding the unauthorized letter. SC spokesperson Achyut Kuinkel issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon clarifying the incident. Kuinkel informed that legal proceedings have been initiated against the officer who wrote the letter without authorization.
The statement issued by Kuinkel reads, “The letter with serial number 19277, dated April 30, 2025, addressed to the Dillibazar Jail Office in Kathmandu, was unauthorized. Therefore, the concerned authorities have been informed not to act upon the letter. Additionally, legal proceedings have been initiated against the officer who issued the letter without authorization. This is for the information of all concerned parties.”
Chaudhary had been convicted in connection with the 2015 Tikapur massacre, in which nine people including seven policemen, one child and a civilian were killed. Although the apex court upheld his life sentence in May 2023, President Ram Chandra Paudel granted him amnesty later on Republic Day.
That amnesty was challenged in court by the victims’ families, but no final verdict has been issued. Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, a court official issued a letter for Chaudhary’s detention, which has now been deemed unauthorized by the SC.
