Nepal’s Supreme Court has directed the government to clarify the legal basis for detaining Dharmendra Raj Bastola, General Secretary of NCP Bahumat, declining to order his immediate release.
During a hearing on a habeas corpus petition on Monday, a single bench led by Justice Hariprasad Phuyal instructed the state to present the grounds for his arrest. The court did not grant an interim release but sought a formal explanation.
Bastola was detained by police after he publicly promoted a policy of boycotting the upcoming House of Representatives election. Following his arrest, a habeas corpus petition was filed on his behalf by Shavitri Kumari Woli.
The petition names the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office in Teku, the District Police Range Kathmandu, and the District Administration Office Kathmandu and their respective chiefs as respondents.
The court’s directive places the focus on the procedural and legal justification for the arrest as the case proceeds through judicial review.