Rabi Lamichhane found guilty in citizenship case

KATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane was found guilty in the citizenship case.

Issuing a verdict on Friday, the constitutional bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki and Justices Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada, Dr Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Kumar Sinha said that Lamichhane did not reclaim the Nepali citizenship after renouncing foreign citizenship.

With the verdict of the Supreme Court, Lamichhane has been removed from the post of lawmaker and minister.

Advocates Rabi Raj Basaula and Yuba Raj Poudel had filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court demanding annulment of his membership of the House of Representatives.

They had argued that Lamichhane was not a Nepali citizen.

The petitioners had said that Lamichhane, also the Chairman of Rastriya Swatantra Party, had produced the copy of his old citizenship to file his candidacy in Chitwan-2 in the election last month.