SC begins hearing on Deuba’s petition against arrest warrant

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has begun hearing a petition filed by former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba seeking to halt the execution of an arrest warrant issued by the Department of Money Laundering Investigation.

The case is being heard by a joint bench of Justices Mahesh Sharma Paudel and Nityananda Pandey at the Supreme Court.

The hearing follows an earlier order by Justice Meghraj Pokharel, who directed both parties to appear for discussions on whether to issue an interim order in the case.

Deuba approached the apex court through his legal representatives, arguing that the arrest warrant—obtained from the Kathmandu District Court by the Department of Money Laundering Investigation Nepal—was issued beyond jurisdictional authority.

The petition claims that the district court does not have the legal mandate to authorize such an arrest in this context.

In his petition, Deuba has stated that he is willing to cooperate with the investigation and argued that custodial arrest is unnecessary at this stage.

Senior lawyers representing him are currently presenting arguments before the joint bench.

The court is expected to decide on whether to issue an interim order preventing the execution of the arrest warrant after hearing submissions from both sides.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that Deuba and his spouse, who reportedly traveled to Hong Kong ahead of the election period, have not yet returned to Nepal.