Kathmandu, August 9

The Supreme Court will deliver its verdict on Friday on the habeas corpus writ petition filed by Kalpana Upreti Sharma seeking her husband Director General of Inland Revenue Department Chudamani Sharma’s release.

Sharma, who was arrested by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority on June 2 on charges of corruption, was sent to judicial custody by the SC on August 1. The SC ordered to send Sharma to judicial custody in response to a habeas corpus petition filed by Kalpana.

Senior Advocates Badri Bahadur Karki, Satish Krishna Kharel advocates Bhimarjun Acharya and Shalik Ram Acharya, who represented Kalpana, rebutted the arguments presented by the government and the Commission for the Invsestigation of Abuse of Authority.

Lawyers representing Kalpana had finished their pleading before lunch break.

After 4:00pm, the bench assistant told the petitioner that the  bench had decided to deliver the verdict on the case on Friday.

The habeas corpus petition is being heard in a five-member full bench of justices Deepak Raj Joshee, Deepak Kumar Karki, Kedar Prasad Chalise, Sharada Prasad Ghimire and Anil Kumar Sinha.

The CIAA has filed a corruption case against Sharma, and two other office bearers of the erstwhile Tax Settlement Commission – Lumbadhwaj Mahat and Umesh Dhakal — accusing them of embezzling revenue while working as office bearers of the TSC.

Sharma and Dhakal were the members of  TSC and Mahat its Chair. Kalpana filed the habeas corpus petition, saying that her husband’s detention was illegal and Rs 3 billion bail amount sought by the CIAA was excessively high.

The apex court has ordered the Special Court to maintain status quo on the corruption case filed by the CIAA against Sharma.