Former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Jabara was taken into police custody from his residence in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, late Saturday night and released about 12 hours later on Sunday. Police cited a security threat as the reason for taking him into custody.
The Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office said Jabara was kept under security watch before being handed over to his family. Security arrangements were also made at his home, according to reports on the incident.
Legal and human rights groups object
The Nepal Bar Association, the National Human Rights Commission and Judges' Society Nepal objected to Jabara's detention. They said it lacked a legal basis and due process.
Their objections brought attention to the circumstances surrounding the former chief justice's custody and his release the following day.
Issue raised in Parliament
The incident was raised in the House of Representatives, where opposition lawmakers demanded answers from the government about Jabara's detention.
Police said the decision was linked to a security threat, while the objections from legal and human rights bodies focused on the detention's legality and process.
