The Supreme Court has ordered the release of Durga Prasai, the coordinator of the Rastra, Rastriyata, Dharma, Sanskriti Tatha Nagarik Bachau Maha Abhiyan.
According to Supreme Court spokesperson Arjun Prasad Koirala, a bench of Justice Mahesh Sharma Paudel issued the order to release Prasai on Friday.
Prasai was detained by police ahead of the election.
The Supreme Court said that the repeated arrests of Prasai were unlawful.
“Even though writs of habeas corpus had been issued multiple times by the court to release the petitioner from custody, he was again arrested under the same charges of offenses against public order. This indicates an intention to keep the petitioner in custody and reflects a pattern of conduct. Therefore, the arrest must be considered unlawful,” the court said.
The court also noted that Prasai had been detained over concerns that he might disrupt the election, but since the election has already been completed, there is no imminent threat from him.
The order further stated that the legal procedures used to detain him were found unlawful and annulled both the arrest warrant and the authorization to keep him in custody.
The court has ordered that Prasai be released in the presence of the Supreme Court’s joint registrar.
