Supreme Court Orders Full Hearing on Plea Against Withdrawal of Organized Crime Charges Against Rabi Lamichhane

Kathmandu. The Supreme Court has ordered that the writ petition challenging the withdrawal of the charges of organized crime and money laundering filed against Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane be presented for a full hearing.

The division bench of Supreme Court Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Shrikant Paudel ordered that the writ be sent for a full hearing on the upcoming Chaitra 1.

Attorney General Savita Bhandari had directed the District Government Attorney's Offices to amend the cases of organized crime and money laundering, along with the cooperative fraud case pending in various districts against Lamichhane. Subsequently, Senior Advocate Dinesh Tripathi, law students Ayush Badal, and Yuvraj Paudel filed a writ petition against that decision.

In the 7-page 'Comment and Order' endorsed by Attorney General Savita Bhandari on Poush 30, District Government Attorney's Offices were directed to proceed with the case against Lamichhane only for cooperative fraud and drop the other two serious charges.

Although applications were submitted to the Kaski and Rupandehi District Courts according to the directive given by the Attorney General's Office, the hearing could not take place because the case is under consideration in the Supreme Court. 

In accordance with the directive from the Attorney General's Office, the Government Attorney's Offices in Kathmandu and Parsa have not yet submitted applications to the District Courts for the amendment of the charge sheet involving Lamichhane and others.