In a significant legal development, Kathmandu District Court has sentenced Supreme Court employee Mahiman Singh Bista to six months in prison for unlawfully issuing an arrest letter against political leader Resham Chaudhary. Justice Khimananda Bhusal’s bench also slapped Bista with a fine of Rs 10,000 after finding him guilty of the offense.
The incident dates back to April 30, 2025, when Bista voluntarily penned a letter to police demanding Chaudhary’s arrest. This unauthorized action led to Chaudhary being detained in Dillibazaar jail for five hours, effectively sabotaging a high-profile merger ceremony between Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party scheduled for that day.
Following an internal Supreme Court investigation, the court’s security unit handed Bista over to the District Police Range, Kathmandu for prosecution.
Context of the controversy
The case is linked to the 2072 Tikapur incident, where eight security personnel and a child were killed. Resham Chaudhary, identified as the mastermind, was sentenced to life imprisonment by all three tiers of the court. However, on May 29, 2023, President Ram Chandra Paudel granted Chaudhary a pardon on the government's recommendation.
Despite the pardon, the Supreme Court later released a full verdict stating that crimes of such gravity should not be eligible for amnesty.
Chaudhary was released after serving only five years and three months of his 20-year sentence.
While a writ petition challenging the presidential pardon remains pending in the Supreme Court, Bista’s sentencing serves as a stern reminder of the legal consequences for bureaucratic overreach and the manipulation of judicial documents.
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