KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has been unable to proceed with the habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane, who is currently in judicial custody in connection with the Supreme Cooperative fraud case.
The petition—filed by his wife Nikita Poudel on Sunday—claims that Lamichhane is being unlawfully detained. A preliminary hearing had been scheduled for today (Monday) under the single bench of Justice Hari Prasad Phuyal.
However, the case could not be heard as Justice Phuyal recused himself, having previously presided over another case involving Lamichhane—his passport misuse case—raising concerns over potential conflict of interest.
Lamichhane was initially released on Rs 10 million bail by the Rupandehi District Court in the cooperative fraud case. However, the Butwal bench of the Tulsipur High Court overturned that ruling on Chaitra 22, 2081 B.S. (April 4, 2025), ordering that he be sent to custody for pre-trial detention.
