Rabi Lamichhane reacquires Nepali citizenship

KATHMANDU: Rabi Lamichhane reacquired the Nepali citizenship on Sunday.

He had reached the District Administration Office this morning to reacquire the citizenship.

Deputy Chief District Office Rabindra Prasad Acharya said that Lamichhane has been provided with the Nepali citizenship.

Earlier, 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 was 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.