Kathmandu, 30 September (H.S.): Nepal’s opposition parties have demanded a clear explanation from the government in Parliament over the alleged unlawful detention of former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana in the middle of the night. Opposition lawmakers criticised the government, describing Rana’s detention as unlawful and contrary to the rule of law. Government lawmakers, however, remained silent on the issue.

Lawmakers from the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN, Shram Sanskriti Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have objected to Rana’s detention. They alleged that the name of the ‘Gen-Z’ movement was being misused to justify violations of the Constitution and the law in taking Rana into custody.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Anand Prasad Dhungana questioned the government’s manner of functioning, saying that the present style of governance appeared even more authoritarian than that witnessed during the Panchayat era. He questioned why the former Chief Justice had been taken from his residence at night without a warrant and asked what was happening in the country.

Dhungana accused the government of moving towards authoritarianism and of governing on the basis of verbal orders rather than established law. He said the government should clearly explain why Rana had been taken into custody.

He also questioned the need to arrest Rana if there had been a genuine threat to his security, arguing that additional protection should instead have been provided to him. Dhungana said that arson had previously taken place at Singha Durbar, the Supreme Court, Parliament and the President’s Office in the name of ‘Gen-Z’, and alleged that the same label was now being invoked to cite insecurity as a reason for taking the former Chief Justice into custody.

Opposition lawmakers demanded that the government explain why Rana had been taken into police custody and why he was subsequently released. The opposition parties also objected to the explanations provided by the government regarding the circumstances surrounding Rana’s detention.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar