Kathmandu — Nepal’s Supreme Court has ordered a full hearing on a petition challenging the decision of the Office of the Attorney General to amend and withdraw money laundering charges against Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane.
A joint bench of senior-most Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla and Justice Shreekanta Poudel issued the order on Wednesday, directing that the petition be presented for a full hearing. The court scheduled the hearing to begin on March 15 (Chaitra 1).
The bench also instructed that the case be assigned through a lottery system among eligible judges, excluding those barred from hearing the case, and that the hearing proceed without postponement once the date is fixed.
In its order, the court stated that written responses from the respondents have either already been submitted or the deadline for submission has expired. Considering the nature of the issues raised in the petition, the court said the matter requires prompt adjudication and should therefore proceed to a full hearing.
Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court had been unable to hear the petition due to time constraints.
Petition Challenging Attorney General’s Decision
The petition was filed at the Supreme Court by advocate Yuvraj Poudel (Safal), advocate Abhash Regmi, several law students, and senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi.
The petition challenges the decision of the Office of the Attorney General approving the amendment and withdrawal of charges of money laundering and organized crime against Lamichhane.
The petitioners argue that the decision is unlawful and should be annulled. They have also requested the court to issue a mandamus order directing authorities not to weaken cases related to organized crime and money laundering.
On January 14, Attorney General Sabita Bhandari approved a request to amend the charges filed against Lamichhane by withdrawing the allegations of organized crime and money laundering.
According to the decision, the charges related to cooperative fraud would remain in place, while the allegations of organized crime and money laundering would not be maintained against Lamichhane.
The amendment was approved under Section 36 of the National Criminal Procedure Code, 2017.
Under this provision, government prosecutors may request the court to amend charges already filed if new evidence or circumstances require modification, provided that the Attorney General grants approval.
Case Linked to Suryadarshan Cooperative Fraud
Lamichhane has been facing legal proceedings related to the Suryadarshan Cooperative fraud case in Kaski district. During the investigation, prosecutors filed charges against him for cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering.
In the case registered at the Kaski District Court, authorities determined alleged financial damages totaling approximately NPR 278.9 million. In a related case involving the Supreme Cooperative fraud investigation, the Butwal–Tulsipur bench of the High Court ordered Lamichhane’s release on bail.
The bench of judges Basudev Acharya and Tejnarayan Poudel granted bail with five conditions. Earlier, the Rupandehi District Court had ordered Lamichhane to post NPR 10 million as bail during the detention hearing.
Lamichhane later submitted bank guarantees and deposits totaling NPR 37.4 million and was released on January 18.
District Courts Await Supreme Court Verdict
Because the petitions challenging the Attorney General’s decision are currently under consideration at the Supreme Court, both the Kaski District Court and the Rupandehi District Court have not issued final rulings on the amended charges.
Further proceedings in the lower courts are expected to move forward only after the Supreme Court delivers its decision.
