KP Sharma Oli, Ramesh Lekhak denied bail by Nepal Supreme Court
The Supreme Court's order also makes clear that there will be no immediate relief for KP Sharma Oli and Ramesh Lekhak, who were arrested in pre-dawn raids on March 28.
Nepal’s Supreme Court has refused to grant bail to former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, dealing a major setback to both leaders as they remain in police custody over their alleged role in a deadly crackdown on 2025 protests that ousted them.
The top court’s order also makes clear that there will be no immediate relief for the two politicians, who were arrested in pre-dawn raids on March 28, just a day after Balendra Shah was sworn in following the first elections since the September 2025 uprising.
COURT REFUSES INTERIM RELIEF
The Supreme Court, while hearing bail petitions filed by both leaders, rejected their request for interim release. A single bench led by Justice Meghraj Pokharel declined to issue an interim order on a petition filed by KP Sharma Oli' wife, Radhika Shakya, which argued that he was being held in illegal detention.
The court, however, issued a show-cause notice to the government, asking it to justify the detention. This effectively lowers the chances of any immediate release for KP Sharma Oli, who is currently admitted to a hospital due to health concerns and appeared before the court via video link.
In a separate but similar ruling, Justice Kumar Regmi dismissed the bail plea of Radhika Lekhak and also issued a show-cause notice. Following this, Radhika Lekhak will remain in custody for at least five more days, as per an earlier order of the Kathmandu District Court. He is currently being held at the Police Academy.
ARRESTS LINKED TO DEADLY PROTEST CRACKDOWN
The arrests stem from an inquiry commission’s findings into the September 2025 unrest, which led to the collapse of Oli’s government. The protests, initially sparked by a brief social media ban, quickly escalated into nationwide violence fuelled by deep economic frustration.
At least 76 people were killed during the unrest, with Parliament and several government buildings set on fire, including the old Parliament building that still bears the scars of the violence. The commission concluded that both KP Sharma Oli and Radhika Lekhak failed to prevent security forces from opening fire on demonstrators.
The court’s decision comes as hundreds of protesters gathered on Monday demanding Oli’s release. "Release KP Oli," around 300 demonstrators chanted, while also calling to "scrap the commission report". Heavy police deployment prevented the crowd from advancing towards sensitive sites in the capital.