Former FNCCI Chairman Shekhar Golchha, Businessman Deepak Bhatta's Habeas Corpus Petitions Being Heard

Kathmandu. Former Chairman of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and industrialist Shekhar Golchha and businessman Deepak Bhatta's habeas corpus petitions are being heard. Golchha's habeas corpus petition is being heard in the joint bench of Supreme Court Justices Mahesh Sharma Paudel and Shrikant Paudel. It will be decided today whether Golchha will be released on bail or kept in custody for investigation.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered the police's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to present Golchha within 24 hours in response to a habeas corpus petition filed against his detention. A single bench of Supreme Court Justice Nripadhwaj Niroula had issued the order in the name of the respondents.

The court, hearing the habeas corpus petition filed by Golchha's wife, Seema Golchha, had ordered the respondents to present the detainee along with a written response within 24 hours.

Similarly, businessman Deepak Bhatta's habeas corpus petition has been scheduled for hearing in the single bench of Justice Abdul Aziz Musalman. The habeas corpus petition, listed last in the cause list, has been scheduled for hearing.

Bhatta, arrested on charges of money laundering, is also being held in police custody. This is the first hearing in the Supreme Court regarding Bhatta's petition. CIB arrested him after his name was implicated in the 'Preliminary Investigation Supervision Report on Securities Transactions by Deepak Bhatta, 2083' prepared by the Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON).

Businessman Bhatta was arrested on March 19 from Nakhal, Kathmandu, on charges of accumulating 'ill-gotten' wealth through suspicious transactions. Bhatta is being held in CIB police custody with permission for a remand extension from the Kathmandu District Court for money laundering investigation.