Lawyers outraged as judge refuses to detain Rabi Lamichhane

KATHMANDU: Government lawyers have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decision of Judge Pralhad Kumar Yogi of the Rupandehi District Court not to detain Rabi Lamichhane, chair of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), in connection with the Supreme Cooperative embezzlement case.

During the ongoing hearing of the case in Bhairahawa, Judge Yogi on Wednesday released Lamichhane under the custody of his wife, Nikita Poudel, instead of sending him to detention for pretrial proceedings.

Government lawyers have raised concerns over this decision, arguing that Lamichhane should have been detained, as is customary in such cases, rather than being granted special treatment.

The preliminary hearing, which has been underway for two days, has not yet concluded. Lamichhane appeared before the court on Wednesday, where the judge recorded his statement and then released him to his family’s custody.

Senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi, representing the victims, stated that government lawyers and advocates on the victims’ behalf raised serious questions about the judge’s decision.

“We objected to the judge’s decision to release Lamichhane. Both the government lawyers and we, as advocates for the victims, questioned the rationale behind the decision. The judge was unable to provide a satisfactory response,” said Tripathi.

Government lawyers argued that by allowing Lamichhane to remain outside custody, Judge Yogi undermined the integrity of pretrial detention proceedings. Some called for Judge Yogi to refrain from handling Lamichhane’s case in the future, questioning his qualifications and ethics.

Senior advocates Dr. Surendra Bhandari and Tripathi also reiterated that the judge’s decision compromised legal standards, further intensifying tensions in the courtroom.

The case is being handled by a team of eight lawyers from the government’s side, including Chief Attorney Somkanta Bhandari, Deputy Attorneys Prakash Marasini and Rabi Neupane from the Office of the High Government Attorney in Butwal, and five representatives from the District Government Attorney’s Office, led by Chief Prem Raj Poudel.

The courtroom environment became increasingly tense as lawyers for the victims and government attorneys voiced their objections, alleging that Lamichhane had been granted undue privilege.