Pokhara, February 16:

Forty-two detainees, who were held on different dates for demanding total democracy and protesting against the February 1 royal takeover, were set free today, reports from Kaski, Baglung and Tanahu said.

Twenty-eight activists of the seven agitating political parties, who were arrested in Kaski on different dates for staging pro-democracy demonstrations, were released following an order issued by the Pokhara appellate court today.

District joint-secretary of the NC, Chandra Mani Poudel, vice-chairman of the Nepal Trade Union Congress, Ramji Kunwar, NC district member Navin Babu Poudel, Gandaki zonal member of the CPN (UML), youth leader of the party, Rabindra Adhikari and district chairman of the NC (D) Soviet Bahadur Adhikari were among those released today.

Over two dozens legal practitioners had debated on the writs filed seeking the release of the detainees. Ten more political detainees have not yet been released.

Meanwhile, the Baglung District Administration Office released nine political detainees, including former MPs Govinda Kandel and Tanka Kandel, joint secretary of the Baglung chapter of the NC, Jagadish Chandra Upadhyaya, NC(D) president Mani Bhadra Kandel.

The Tanahun district administration freed five political prisoners, namely president of the NC (Tanahun chapter), Raghu Nath Poudel, district president of the NC (D), Dhurv Wagle, Tanahun district secretary of the CPN (UML), Pratap Lal Shrestha, general committee members of the NC, Ram Chandra Pokhrel and Krishna Prasad Gautam, a report said.

In Kathmandu, UML leader Subhash Chandra Nembang, advocate Umesh Kuinkel and other political activists were set free after SC order responding to habeas corpus petitions. More petitions were filed today at the SC with the legal aid of the NBA, demanding the release of more leaders.