Dan Bahadur Karki Moves To Supreme Court Seeking Reinstatement as Nepal Police IGP

Kathmandu, November 5, 2026: Dan Bahadur Karki has approached the Supreme Court seeking reinstatement as Inspector General of Nepal Police, challenging the government’s decision to remove him from the police leadership and appoint Dr. Manoj Kumar KC as the new IGP.

Karki, who was reassigned as the Prime Minister’s security adviser, took the legal challenge to the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Challenges Government’s Decision

The government on Wednesday decided to remove Karki from the position of Inspector General and appoint KC as his replacement.

Karki has challenged that decision and is seeking to return to his previous position as the head of Nepal Police.

According to advocate Tika Bahadur Kunwar, who is close to Karki, the petition challenging the IGP appointment had reached the Supreme Court.

At the time of the report, however, the petition was still in the registration process. This means the report did not yet establish that the Supreme Court had formally registered the case or issued any order.

Manoj KC Has Already Assumed Office

Following the Cabinet decision, Dr. Manoj KC assumed responsibility as the new chief of Nepal Police on Wednesday itself.

The legal challenge therefore comes after the government's decision had already been implemented at the leadership level.

Government Had Called Karki’s Move a ‘Change of Responsibility’

The court move comes amid controversy surrounding Karki’s removal.

Government spokesperson and Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel previously maintained that Karki had not been subjected to disciplinary action, describing the decision instead as a change of responsibility.

Karki was moved to the Prime Minister’s Office as security adviser while KC was appointed IGP.

Pokharel had also said that the government had received direction from the ruling party regarding the need to act on sensitive issues amid changing circumstances.

However, Rastriya Swatantra Party spokesperson Jagadish Kharel later denied that the party had instructed the government to remove or retain any particular individual, creating conflicting accounts over the circumstances surrounding the decision.

IGP Dispute Now Heads Toward a Legal Battle

Karki’s move adds a legal dimension to the controversy surrounding the sudden change at the top of Nepal Police.

However, because the petition was reported as still being processed for registration, the Supreme Court had not, based on the information available in the source, made any determination on Karki’s demand for reinstatement.

Further developments will depend on the formal registration of the petition and subsequent proceedings before the court.