Kathmandu, November 8
Gandaki Provincial Assembly Member Rajiv Gurung (alias Deepak Manange) has stated he will appear in court only after the full text of the verdict against him is released.
The Supreme Court recently upheld a Patan High Court ruling sentencing Gurung to five years in prison for attempted murder. Following the decision, Gurung reportedly switched off his phone and became unreachable.
In a statement issued on Friday, Gurung announced that he would present himself in court once the Supreme Court publishes the full text of the verdict.
“I sent my legal team to obtain a copy of the verdict, but we were informed that the court has not yet prepared the summary document,” Gurung wrote. “I want to inform that I will appear in court once I receive the full written verdict from the Supreme Court.”
Having already served two years and eight months of his sentence, Gurung still faces two years and four months in prison. Although the Supreme Court has upheld the lower court’s decision, making the full text unnecessary for implementing the sentence, police have launched a search for Gurung, who remains unreachable.
Additionally, a separate case questioning Gurung’s eligibility as an MP is currently under consideration in the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench.
