Supreme Court Expresses Serious Concern Over Police Taking Former Chief Justice Rana from His Home

Dragon Media News Desk

Nepal’s Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over police taking former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana from his home at night and keeping him at a police office for about ten hours. At an emergency meeting on Monday, the court’s full bench stressed that authorities must follow the legal procedures required when taking anyone into custody.

A statement issued by Supreme Court spokesperson and joint registrar Arjun Prasad Koirala said police officers took Rana from his residence on the night of Asoj 10 to the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office in Teku. He was released into his family’s care about ten hours later, the statement said.

The full bench said the rights to personal liberty and to live with dignity apply equally to every citizen. Actions taken without due legal process carry a serious risk of arbitrariness and are incompatible with democratic governance, it said. The court added that how state authorities treat serving and former judges is particularly sensitive because it bears on judicial independence.

The Supreme Court also urged those concerned not to portray judicial proceedings through the lens of any former officeholder. It said neither external nor internal influence would be allowed to affect the administration of justice.