Kathmandu, April 14
A Supreme Court hearing has concluded on the writ petition filed by Rastriya Swatantra Party President and former Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane, who is currently in custody at the Bhairahawa prison.
Lamichhane had filed the petition last Friday, requesting the court to allow him to defend his case outside of detention. The hearing was conducted by a single bench of Justice Tek Prasad Dhungana, according to the Supreme Court administration.
The petition was filed by Lamichhane’s wife, Nikita Lamichhane.
Previously, the Rupandehi District Court had ordered Lamichhane’s release on bail of Rs 10 million on January 26, 2025 (Magh 13, 2081 BS) in connection with the Supreme Cooperative fraud case in Butwal.
However, both the government attorney’s office and Lamichhane himself had challenged the district court’s decision at the Butwal High Court. The government sought to overturn the bail order and keep Lamichhane in custody during trial, while Lamichhane sought to be released on a general date without bail.
The high court bench, comprising Justices Ramesh Dhakal and Swikriti Parajuli of the Butwal division of the Tulsipur High Court, ultimately revoked the earlier bail order and directed Lamichhane be held in custody for the duration of the trial.
Respecting the court’s decision, Lamichhane declared, “As long as there is blood in my body, I will continue the fight.”
