Nepal court blocks extended detention of ex-PM KP Sharma Oli, clearing path for release amid probe into deadly protest crackdown
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered on Monday that the detentions of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and his former home minister should not be extended further, paving the way for their release this week.
Oli, 74, and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on March 28, a day after Prime Minister Balendra Shah took office following the country’s first elections since a September uprising that brought down Oli’s government.
After their arrests, their wives filed habeas corpus petitions at the Supreme Court, challenging the legality of their detentions.
Supreme Court spokesperson Arjun Prasad Koirala said the petitions were dismissed, but the court issued an order directing authorities to complete the investigation without granting any additional extensions.
“The ruling states that their detention cannot be prolonged further after the last one expires,” Koirala told AFP.
On Sunday, the Kathmandu District Court extended their custody by five days until Thursday, as investigators continued examining their alleged roles in last year’s deadly crackdown on demonstrations that killed at least 76 people.
It was the third such extension, with the court citing the need for further investigation following statements from both men.
Neither man has been formally charged and both deny responsibility for the violence.
Oli has been in hospital since soon after his arrest for what police have described as a procedural check-up, adding that he suffers from heart and kidney problems.
His and Lekhak’s arrests came after an inquiry commission recommended prosecuting Oli — a four-time prime minister — and other officials for failing to stop security forces from opening fire on demonstrators.
The commission’s report said statements given by the two men suggesting they did not know about the violence were part of a bid to shift responsibility and amounted to “criminal negligence”.
Oli’s CPN-UML party has described the arrests as “a vengeful act” and called for protests.
The unrest began in early September over a brief social media ban but tapped into longstanding anger over economic hardship.
It quickly spread nationwide as parliament and government offices were set ablaze, resulting in the collapse of Oli’s government.
New Prime Minister Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, won a sweeping election victory on a platform of youth-driven political change and defeated Oli in his own constituency.