SC postpones Lamichhane, Joshi cases for 5th time

KATHMANDU: The petitions filed by Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane and former DIG Chhabilal Joshi were once again postponed on Sunday, as they landed in a “non-hearing bench” at the Supreme Court for the fifth consecutive time.

The two had challenged the order of the Tulsipur High Court regarding the Supreme Cooperative fraud case.

Their case, listed as Petition No. 73, was assigned to the bench of Justices Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma and Sunil Kumar Pokharel.

However, Justice Pokharel recused himself, citing a conflict of interest as he had previously represented Lamichhane in his passport and citizenship case. As a result, the hearing was deferred again.

On the same bench, a habeas corpus petition filed by Lamichhane’s wife, Nikita Paudel, was also listed. Justice Abdul Ajiz Musalman had previously ordered this petition to be tagged along with Lamichhane’s petition, adding to the complexity of the legal proceedings.

This marks the fifth time the hearing has been delayed due to the case falling into a “non-hearing” bench, leaving the case in a state of uncertainty.

Earlier, the Rupandehi District Court had released Lamichhane on a bail of Rs 10 million in connection with the Supreme Cooperative fraud case.

However, the Tulsipur High Court overturned that decision and ordered his remand in judicial custody. Lamichhane subsequently filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court against that order.

In the same case, former DIG Chhabilal Joshi was directly remanded in custody by the Rupandehi District Court. His appeal to the High Court was also denied, with the court upholding the lower court’s decision.

The repeated delays have cast doubt on the timely resolution of the high-profile cooperative fraud case.