It has been revealed that Khagendra Sunar, who has been recommended by Prime Minister Sushila Karki for a ministerial position, is facing three ongoing court cases.
Cases against Sunar are currently being heard in the Supreme Court, Surkhet District Court, and Kavre District Court on various charges.
Dalit activist Sunar has been recommended for the post of Minister of Labour, Employment, and Social Security. His oath-taking ceremony has been scheduled for 2:30 PM today.
At the Surkhet District Court, a case has been filed against him for assaulting Dr. Sojan Sapkota, the chief of Mehelkuna Hospital, and vandalizing the health institution. In this case, a seven-day arrest warrant was issued on Ashar 14, 2081 BS, and another 35-day warrant was issued on Shrawan 27, 2081 BS. The case has not yet been settled.
According to Ujwal Rawal, Information Officer at the Surkhet District Court, Sunar appeared before the court on Chaitra 12, 2081 BS, but he has since been continuously postponing court dates. Rawal stated that while the five other defendants in the same case have been attending their scheduled hearings regularly, Khagendra Sunar has been avoiding court appearances till now.
Surkhet Police Chief SP Dhiraj Shahi also confirmed that the case against Sunar regarding the vandalism of a health institution and assault on health workers is still under judicial consideration.
Similarly, another case has been filed against him at the Kavre District Court under the Electronic Transaction Act. According to advocate Manisha Gautam, who filed the case, it is still under judicial review in Kavre.
A high-ranking police source said that both cases from Surkhet and Kavre are recorded in the Clearance Registration System (CRS), which is used by Nepal Police while issuing character verification certificates. However, the source clarified that Sunar cannot be labeled a fugitive.
Advocate Gautam filed the case accusing Sunar of abusing her on Facebook. She said that although the court called Sunar to present his statement regarding the incident, he has not appeared.
“After he posted baseless and abusive remarks about me on Facebook, I went to the Cyber Bureau. Since my permanent address is in Kavre, the police told me to file the case there, so I went to the Kavre District Court and registered the case,” Gautam told Setopati. “The court did not issue an arrest warrant, but it said it would proceed by ensuring his presence. However, Khagendra Sunar has not appeared in court so far.”
Sunar had also led an aggressive demonstration outside the court in protest against the Surkhet High Court’s verdict in the Nawaraj BK murder case in Jajarkot. He had allegedly attempted vandalism and used abusive language against judges.
Following that incident, advocate Gautam also filed a defamation case against Sunar at the Supreme Court. That case is still undecided.
At the time, Sunar had posted defamatory comments on Facebook, writing: “What is the difference between Nepal Bar, which does black business during the day, and Thamel’s bars, which do business at night?” In another post, he publicly shared Manisha Gautam’s photo and mobile number, writing: “Should we ask whether you belong to Nepal Bar or Thamel Bar?”
“This case is also still pending,” Gautam said. “The last hearing was scheduled for Ashoj 6, but it could not proceed because the court building was burned during the Gen-Z protest.”
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