KATHMANDU: Patan High Court has rejected the writ petition filed by Raju Nath Pandey, the Chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Police Force. Pandey had filed the petition challenging his suspension by Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragain.
A joint bench of Judges Dal Bahadur Khadka and Deepak Khanal dismissed the writ on Wednesday, confirming that Pandey will remain suspended.
Following his suspension, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City had appointed Deputy Superintendent of Metropolitan Police, Bishnu Prasad Joshi, as the acting chief, a position he will continue to hold.
Pandey was suspended for six months after Chief Administrative Officer Guragain assigned Joshi to lead the force on Jestha 20, 2081 B.S. Earlier, the High Court had temporarily stayed the decision, preventing Joshi’s removal.
Guragain had sought clarification from Pandey on Jestha 6, 2081 B.S, over his alleged misconduct. In his seven-point response submitted on Jestha 12, Pandey claimed he was following Mayor Balendra Shah’s directives.
The issue arose on Chaitra 21, 2081 B.S, when Guragain was reportedly obstructed from entering the Kathmandu Plaza office by Pandey-led municipal police officers, who also attempted to use force against municipal staff. Consequently, Guragain initiated disciplinary action against Pandey.
Pandey was promoted to Senior Superintendent of the Municipal Police on Asoj 30, 2080 B.S, during Mayor Shah’s tenure. However, he was known to act under the mayor’s direction rather than the chief administrative officer’s supervision.
His promotion was based on performance evaluation and seniority, ranking first among candidates, followed by Bishnu Prasad Joshi and Dinesh Aryal. After his suspension, Joshi, who was second on the promotion list, took charge of the force.
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