Nepal’s highest court has ruled against freeing former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and ex-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, rejecting arguments that their weekend arrests were unlawful.
The two petitions, filed on Sunday, contended that police had illegally detained the politicians from their residences on Saturday morning. The men face charges of criminal negligence tied to the deadly suppression of student-led protests last year.
A court spokesperson confirmed that the government must now provide a written explanation within three days detailing why emergency arrest warrants were issued.
Oli, who has served as prime minister four times and leads the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), was elected party chair again in December despite his administration collapsing after widespread demonstrations. His supporters have held daily rallies in the capital since the arrests.
On Sunday, a local court ordered both men held for five days. A government spokesperson stated that all actions taken comply with legal procedures.
The detentions follow a commission’s recommendation last week to prosecute Oli and senior security officials for the violent crackdown on the 2025 Gen Z uprising.
Lekhak remains in police custody, while Oli has been hospitalized for heart problems.
Separately, a money laundering investigation is targeting three former prime ministers, including Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, along with two former ministers. An arrest was also made Sunday of a former energy minister linked to these inquiries.
These developments come shortly after Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper, was sworn in as Nepal’s new prime minister. His administration has promised to create a high-level committee to investigate assets of major political figures from the past two decades.
Shah’s party won a decisive victory over Oli in last month’s election, riding a wave of anti-corruption sentiment that had toppled the prior government.