Archive · 27 Sep 2026
Nepal Former Chief Justice Briefly Detained Amid Security Concerns
Nepal’s former top judge, Cholendra Shumsher Rana, was taken to a police office for several hours.
Police said they were protecting him because they heard he might be attacked.
Some news reports said he had instead been arrested for a criminal investigation.
Police denied that explanation.
Rana was questioned and released around midday on Sunday.
Reports also connected the incident to his meetings with former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.
This happened while opposition parties were preparing protests against the government.
Rana had previously faced an impeachment motion, but Nepal’s Supreme Court recently said that case no longer had a purpose.
Police took former chief justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana to their Kathmandu office early Sunday after receiving information about a possible attack.
Authorities said Rana was placed under police protection, while local media reported that he was arrested in connection with a criminal case.
Police sources said Rana was questioned and released around noon; the alleged threat’s source was not publicly identified.
Reports linked the detention to Rana’s recent meetings with former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and alleged plots against the government.
Rana’s detention occurred as opposition parties prepared anti-government protests and followed a Supreme Court ruling on his stalled impeachment motion.
- Who
- Former Nepalese chief justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana, Nepal Police, and political figures including K P Sharma Oli.
- What
- Rana was briefly taken to a police office, questioned, and released; police described the action as protection from a possible security threat, while media reports described it as an arrest.
- When
- Sunday, September 27; he was taken to the police office in the early hours and released around noon.
- Where
- Rana’s residence in Maharajgunj and the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office in Teku, Kathmandu.
- Why
- Police cited information about a possible attack; media reports also linked the action to Rana’s meetings with Oli and alleged political plots.
Police and Official Account
Media and Political Reports
Reason for Rana’s detention
Police and Official Account
Police said Rana was brought under protection after authorities received information about a possible attack and denied that he had been arrested.
Media and Political Reports
Local media reports said Rana was arrested in connection with a criminal case and that he was questioned over possible political activity.
Connection to political activity
Police and Official Account
Police publicly emphasized a security threat and did not identify its source.
Media and Political Reports
Reports linked the action to Rana’s meetings with former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and alleged plots to dislodge Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s government.
- Person detained
- Cholendra Shumsher Rana, Nepal’s former chief justice
- Police account
- Rana was placed under police security because authorities received information that he could face an attack.
- Duration
- He was taken to police offices early Sunday and released after questioning around noon.
- Reported alternative account
- Local media said Rana was arrested in connection with a criminal case, which police denied.
- Political context
- The incident came as opposition parties prepared anti-government protests.
- Former office
- Rana became chief justice on January 1, 2019.
- Impeachment history
- Parliament registered an impeachment motion against Rana on February 13, 2022, but it was not put to a vote.
- Court ruling
- On September 9, Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled that the impeachment motion had lost its purpose.