KATHMANDU: The Patan High Court has dismissed a supplementary writ petition filed against CPN-UML Secretary Mahesh Basnet by Shobha Pathak of Dhading, effectively upholding the earlier decision not to pursue the case.
Pathak had accused Basnet of rape and filed a complaint, but the Kathmandu District Government Attorney’s Office had decided not to proceed with the case, citing insufficient evidence. Following this, Pathak filed both a main writ and a supplementary petition at the High Court.
On Wednesday, a joint bench of judges Somkanta Mainali and Keshav Adhikari rejected the petition, endorsing the earlier decision of the government attorney’s office. With this ruling, the legal challenge against Basnet has been formally dismissed.
Pathak had initially lodged her complaint at the District Police Range, Kathmandu. However, after the attorney’s office concluded that the claim did not meet the required legal threshold, she moved the High Court seeking further review.
Reacting to the verdict, Basnet said the dismissal has ended three years of hardship he had faced. He claimed the accusations were politically motivated and based on fabricated details, adding that even the second attempt through a supplementary petition had now been rejected by the court.
Basnet also alleged that efforts had been made to arrest him under political pressure and stated that he would seek legal remedies against those involved, accusing them of character assassination and causing distress to his family.
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