Kathmandu, March 18:

The two detainees, who were found illegally detained in the Pyuthan District Police Office during a judicial search on March 15, were set free from the Supreme Court premises today.

Nandu Giri and Deve Bikram Shah, residents of Khungri in Rolpa district, were set free in the presence of acting registrar of the SC Binod Sharma and journalists Ananta Raj Luitel and Bikash Bhattarai.

A division bench of Justices Prem Sharma and Girish Chandra Lal directed the government authorities to set them free.

The apex court has already initiated contempt of court action against Home

Secretary Dr Govinda Kusum, IGP Ramesh Chand Thakuri and half a dozen police officials on the charge of lying to the court.

Plainclothes policemen had arrested Giri and Shah from Lalitpur and took them to Pyuthan on a helicopter on March 3.