KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court will conduct a joint bench hearing on the habeas corpus petition filed against the pre-trial detention of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane, who is currently in custody in Rupandehi District Prison in connection with a cooperative fraud case.

A preliminary hearing on the petition was held on Tuesday in the single bench of Justice Abdul Aziz Musalman. Following the initial review, Justice Musalman ordered that the case be forwarded to a joint bench for further deliberation. The next hearing will now be scheduled before a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court.

The habeas corpus petition was filed on Sunday by Lamichhane’s wife, Nikita Paudel, arguing that her husband was being illegally detained and demanding his immediate release. The petition claims that due legal process was not followed when placing him in custody.

Lamichhane is accused in the Supreme Savings Cooperative fraud case based in Butwal. Earlier, the Rupandehi District Court had ordered his release on bail of Rs 10 million. However, on April 4 (Chaitra 22), the Butwal bench of the High Court Tulsipur overturned the district court’s decision and directed that Lamichhane be remanded to custody, leading to his imprisonment in Rupandehi.