Kathmandu, Apr 3:
Former Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli will remain in judicial custody for two more days after the Kathmandu District Court allowed police to extend his detention on Wednesday. Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on March 28 for their alleged roles in suppressing last year’s Gen Z protests, which left 76 people dead. The court had previously approved a five-day judicial remand for both leaders to facilitate investigation.
Oli, 75, is currently admitted to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital due to multiple health issues, and police are recording his statements from the hospital bed. Lekhak, 62, is giving his statements while in police custody. The arrests followed the decision of the newly formed Balendra Shah government to implement the recommendations of a probe commission into the protests during its first cabinet meeting.
Oli’s party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist–Leninist (CPN-UML), demanded his immediate release. CPN-UML lawmaker Guru Baral called the arrests “illegitimate and unconstitutional” and accused the government of acting out of political revenge.
Rastriya Swatantra Party chief Rabi Lamichhane of Parliament, convened by President Ramchandra Paudel.
The session highlighted ongoing tensions between political accountability and accusations of partisan motives in handling the Gen Z protest case.