The Patan High Court has upheld the decision of the Kathmandu District Court ordering Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Ravi Lamichhane to deposit Rs 6 million as bail.
In the Swarnalakshmi Cooperative fraud case, a bench comprising Judges Khadananda Tiwari and Dipak Kumar Kharel ruled on Thursday that there was no need to alter the orders issued by the Kathmandu District Court.
The Office of the High Government Attorney had sought to overturn the bail order and requested that Ravi Lamichhane, Chhabilal Joshi, Sunita Newa, and Kamal Lama be kept in judicial custody for trial. However, after hearing the petition, the High Court concluded that the district court’s decision did not require modification.
In its verdict, the High Court stated that considering the defendants’ statements, the manner in which the funds were used, and the extent of their involvement, the district court’s interim decision to seek bail—subject to the final outcome of the case—was appropriate. Since the defendants had deposited the required bail amounts and were appearing on scheduled dates, and as further evidence could still be examined during the trial, the High Court found no legal error in the district court’s orders dated Poush 23, Magh 2, and Magh 7, 2081 BS, and therefore saw no reason to change them.
Earlier, the Kathmandu District Court had ordered Ravi Lamichhane to deposit Rs 6 million on Magh 2, and former DIG Chhabilal Joshi to deposit Rs 5 million on Magh 7 as bail.
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