Pokhara, 27 September | Former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana has been arrested from his residence in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, according to a source familiar with the development. Rana was reportedly taken into custody last night by a team from the Crime Investigation Office in Teku. Authorities have not yet disclosed the specific offence or charge for which he was arrested.
Rana was suspended from his position after an impeachment motion was registered against him in Parliament in February 2022. A member of Nepal’s Rana family, he is a fourth-generation descendant of former Rana Prime Minister Bir Shumsher Rana. He was the grandson of Indra Shumsher Rana and the son of Yuvraj Shumsher Rana, who had served as a member of the then Royal Palace Permanent Committee.
Rana began his judicial career after working as a lawyer and was appointed an acting judge of the then Appellate Court on April 14, 1996. He later served as a member of the Special Court and subsequently became the acting Chief Judge of the Appellate Court in Butwal. He was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court in 2014.
His appointment had faced opposition from members representing the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre during the parliamentary hearing process. However, he later received the support of the Nepal Communist Party, formed through the merger of the two parties, and was appointed Chief Justice. Rana assumed the office of Chief Justice on January 2, 2019. During his tenure, he became involved in several controversies, including allegations surrounding the allocation of ministerial positions. Legal professionals also staged protests demanding action against him.
