KATHMANDU, April 13: The Supreme Court (SC) has sought a detailed report on the writ petition of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane.
While hearing the petition, a single bench of Justice Tek Prasad Dhungana ordered the High Court Tulsipur-Butwal bench to submit a detailed report with reasons regarding the decision to send Lamichhane to custody. Once the report is received, the Supreme Court will decide whether to dismiss Lamichhane’s writ petition or to revise the High Court's order and allow him to prepare for trial while out of detention.
The Butwal bench of the High Court in Tulsipur, on April 9, ordered Lamichhane to be remanded in custody for pretrial detention in connection to the Supreme Savings and Credit Cooperative fraud case.
Writ petition filed against Rabi Lamichhane
Challenging that order, Lamichhane’s wife Nikita Lamichhane filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court on April 11. His petition was assigned to the bench of Justice Tek Prasad Dhungana.
Following the High Court’s order, Lamichhane was arrested from Budhanilkantha and held at the District Police Range, Kathmandu. He spent one day in custody in Kathmandu and two days in Rupandehi before being transferred to Bhairahawa prison on Monday.
Earlier, on January 26, Judge Prahlad Kumar Yogi of the Rupandehi District Court had ordered Lamichhane’s release on a bail of Rs 10 million.
Currently, he is being held at Bhairahawa prison.
