Kathmandu, March 29: Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak are set to be presented before the Kathmandu District Court today (Sunday).
According to sources, a large number of lawyers representing both Oli and Lekhak are preparing to argue during the hearing on extending their remand. A habeas corpus petition is also being prepared for filing at the Supreme Court the same day. Apparently, if you are going to fight the system, you might as well bring an army of lawyers.
Oli, Lekhak to be produced in court today
Both leaders were arrested on Saturday morning but could not be produced in court immediately due to a public holiday. They were kept in custody and will now be presented before the court to seek permission for further investigation. As per procedure, they will be taken through the District Government Attorney’s Office before being produced in court.
Under existing legal provisions, police can detain Oli and Lekhak for up to 24 days for investigation, but only with court approval. So yes, even political heavyweights have to wait for paperwork to catch up.
The two were arrested from their residences after a probe commission found them responsible for violence and casualties during the Genji movement on Bhadra 23.
Following his arrest, Oli was taken to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for a health check-up and has since been admitted on doctors’ advice. Lekhak, meanwhile, is being held at a police battalion in Maharajgunj, where conditions are presumably less comfortable than a former minister’s living room.
