The Patan High Court has upheld the Rs 6 million bail amount demanded by the Kathmandu District Court from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane.
On Thursday, a bench of Judges Khadananda Tiwari and Deepak Kumar Kharel ruled that there was no need to change the lower court's order in the Swarnalaxmi Cooperative fraud case.
The High Government Attorney’s Office had filed a petition seeking to scrap the bail orders for Lamichhane, Chhabi Lal Joshi, Sunita Newa, Kamal Lama, and others, arguing instead that they should be kept in judicial custody for the duration of the trial.
However, after hearing the arguments, the high court decided that the district court’s orders were appropriate.
“The bail was found to have been demanded considering the defendants’ statements, the use of the funds, and the defendants’ involvement, subject to the final determination of the case. Since the defendants have deposited the required bail amount and are appearing on scheduled dates, and further evidence will be assessed during the trial, the district court’s orders dated January 7, January 15, January 20, 2025, demanding bail amounts from Rabi Lamichhane, Chhabi Lal Joshi, Sunita Newa, and Kamal Lama do not appear to be improper and therefore do not warrant alteration,” the order stated.
The Kathmandu District Court had sought Rs 6 million in bail from Lamichhane on January 15 and Rs 5 million from former deputy inspector general Joshi on January 20.
