KATHMANDU, JUNE 24
A habeas corpus petition has been filed at the Supreme Court challenging the arrest of CPN-UML Vice Chair Bishnu Paudel, calling his detention illegal.
Paudel's wife, Domaya Paudel, filed the writ petition on Wednesday, with the hearing scheduled for Thursday. The petition has named the Special Court, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, and the District Police Office, Surkhet, as respondents.
Paudel, a former Deputy Prime Minister, was arrested by police on Monday in connection with a money-laundering investigation.
Acting on a request from the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, police detained Paudel and brought him to Kathmandu from Surkhet on Tuesday morning.
The Special Court on Tuesday granted police seven days of custody to continue the investigation.
In the petition, Domaya Paudel has argued that her husband was arrested without evidence and has sought an order for his release.