KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane was arrested on Friday night by police following a verdict from the Tulsipur-Butwal bench of the High Court in connection with the Supreme Cooperative fraud case. However, the manner in which the arrest was carried out has sparked serious criticism from the RSP.
A team from the Valley Crime Investigation Office reached Lamichhane’s Budhanilkantha residence shortly after the High Court ordered his arrest. But according to the RSP Secretariat, the police arrived without an arrest warrant and began preparing one on the spot — inside Lamichhane’s bedroom — after he demanded to see the legal document before complying.
In a statement issued after a virtual midnight meeting, the RSP Secretariat expressed strong objection, calling the move an insensitive and illegal act that cannot be forgiven under the rule of law.
The party condemned what it described as an unprecedented and unlawful act of entering a citizen’s home and drafting legal documents there.
Lamichhane was arrested late Friday and is expected to be flown to Bhairahawa today (Saturday) for further legal proceedings. He is to be presented in court on Sunday, April 6.
The arrest follows a decision by High Court Justices Ramesh Dhakal and Santhiya Parajuli, which overturned an earlier Rupandehi District Court ruling that had allowed Lamichhane to post bail of Rs 10 million.
This is the second time Lamichhane, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, has been taken into custody in connection with cooperative fund embezzlement. He was previously arrested on October 18, 2024, and later released on bail of Rs 6.5 million by the Kaski District Court after spending 84 days in custody for the Surya Darshan Cooperative case.
Lamichhane’s re-arrest comes just six days after he reentered his party office, following his release. He was remanded to police custody again on Friday night.
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