Kathmandu: The scheduled hearing in the cooperative fraud case involving Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chief Rabi Lamichhane was once again postponed at the Butwal High Court on Thursday.
Lamichhane and his co-accused, former Gorkha Media Network director and ex-DIG of Police Chhabilal Joshi, were set to appear before a division bench of Judges Tej Narayan Paudel and Sagar Bista. The case, currently under the jurisdiction of the Butwal bench of the Tulsipur High Court, could not proceed after a conflict of interest emerged—one of Judge Bista’s relatives appeared in court as a defense lawyer.
Both Lamichhane and Joshi are being held in custody in Butwal on allegations of organized crime and embezzlement tied to the Supreme Cooperative scandal. They have requested bail equivalent to the amount allegedly misappropriated.
Since October 30, the hearings have faced repeated delays, leaving the case awaiting a final verdict. Meanwhile, Lamichhane—now detained at Nakkhu Jail—has continued to draw public attention through frequent interactions with media personnel, political leaders, and even former judges, fueling ongoing national debate surrounding the case.
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