Supreme Court refuses interim relief to ex-PM Oli as protests continue over his arrest

Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Nepal’s Supreme Court on Monday refused to provide interim relief to former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli arrested over 2025 Gen Z protest crackdown even as protest continued in Nepal over his detention.

Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday for their alleged involvement in suppressing the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9 last year, in which 76 people, including around two dozen youths, were killed. In response to a habeas corpus petition filed by Oli’s wife, Radhika Shakya, claiming her husband was being held in unlawful detention, the apex court asked the authorities to submit a written explanation clarifying the legal grounds for his detention.

A single bench of Justice Meghraj Pokharel refused to issue an interim order for his release. The court gave a similar ruling to a habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of former home minister Ramesh Lekhak.