Former Madhesh Province Chief Jha held on rape charges
He was immediately presented before the court, which has granted a five-day remand for further investigation.
KATHMANDU: Former Madhesh Province Chief Rajesh Jha, also known as Ahiraj, has been arrested in Kathmandu on serious allegations of raping a young woman.
A team from the Kathmandu District Police arrested him on Sunday, acting on an arrest warrant issued by the Kathmandu District Court.
He was immediately presented before the court, which has granted a five-day remand for further investigation.
According to the victim, Jha allegedly raped her multiple times on 2081 Jestha 4 at his residence in Baneshwar, Kathmandu, taking advantage of her being alone.
She also accused Jha of threatening to kill her if she disclosed the incident.
Despite several attempts to lodge a formal complaint at the Kathmandu District Police, the victim claims police were reluctant to register her case. She later submitted an application to the District Government Attorney’s Office on Kartik 28.
The office instructed police to register the complaint on Kartik 30, but the police filed it only on Magh 3.
Even after the case was officially registered, police delayed seeking a court-issued arrest warrant, which was eventually obtained on Chaitra 25.
Jha went into hiding soon after learning about the warrant and had been absconding for nearly four months before his arrest on Sunday.
Rajesh Jha served as the Chief of Madhesh Province from Falgun 7, 2077 to Shrawan 32, 2078, appointed by the government of then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
After leaving office, Jha remained active in political circles and was also known for his academic work on Madhesi issues. He served as the editor of Madheshbani, a regional publication, and had a background in journalism.
