KATHMANDU: Nikita Poudel, wife of Rastriya Swatantra Party Chair Rabi Lamichhane, who is currently in judicial custody at Bhairahawa Prison over a cooperative fraud case, has levelled serious allegations against Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.
In an open letter posted on social media, Poudel claimed that even after a court granted Lamichhane certain facilities available to other detainees, implementation was blocked on the Home Minister’s instructions.
She accused Lekhak of orchestrating a campaign to prolong Lamichhane’s detention, including filing complaints to the Judicial Council after court hearings, drafting those complaints inside the Home Minister’s office, and circulating them through his secretariat.
Poudel alleged that the Home Minister has been intimidating the judiciary, exerting pressure on the Judicial Council, and ensuring Lamichhane remains behind bars despite precedents of granting bail in similar cases. She argued that frequent transfers and promotions of judges have created a climate of fear, discouraging fair rulings.
“Which judge would risk their career to deliver a verdict in such circumstances?” she wrote, adding that while the Supreme Court has granted bail in comparable cases, her husband’s matter has been handled differently.
She said that on the very day his case was heard, both a media trial and complaints to the Judicial Council compromised an environment for independent legal debate.
Poudel further claimed that all charges against her husband were filed only after Lekhak became Home Minister, with none falling within the statute of limitations. She vowed to pursue every legal and constitutional avenue, including appealing to an international court, if justice is not delivered.
Addressing Chief Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, she urged him to reflect on the blatant injustice occurring during his tenure. “I will keep fighting until justice is served,” she declared.
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