Former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana Arrested

Former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana was arrested from his residence in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu early Sunday morning.

A team from the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office in Teku carried out the arrest. Nepal Police confirmed that Rana was taken into custody, but authorities have not yet publicly disclosed the exact charges, case details, or legal reason behind the arrest.

It is reported that a complaint has been filed against him at the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office. However, police have not yet confirmed whether the current arrest is connected to the previous impeachment allegation, any previous complaints, or a separate investigation.

Who Is Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana?

Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana became the Chief Justice of Nepal on January 2, 2019.

His tenure at the Supreme Court became the subject of intense criticism after questions were raised about judicial administration, appointments, and several decisions made during his leadership.

In February 2022, his tenure faced a major political and legal crisis after lawmakers registered an impeachment motion against him in Parliament.

Following the registration of the impeachment motion on February 13, 2022, Rana was suspended from his position as Chief Justice.

2022 Impeachment Motion And 21 Allegations Against Rana

On February 13, 2022, 98 lawmakers from the ruling coalition registered an impeachment motion against Rana in the House of Representatives.

The motion contained 21 accusations related to his conduct as Chief Justice. The allegations included claims of:

• Failing to protect judicial independence
• Weakening public trust in the judiciary
• Misuse of authority
• Issues related to judicial appointments
• Alleged corruption related concerns
• Interference in judicial administration

These were allegations raised during the parliamentary impeachment process. Rana denied wrongdoing and defended his actions during his appearance before the impeachment recommendation committee.

The impeachment motion was never completed through a final parliamentary decision.

Controversial Court Decisions During Rana’s Tenure

One of the most discussed cases during Rana’s tenure was the sentence reduction of former Nepal Police DIG Ranjan Koirala.

In 2020, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Rana reduced Koirala’s life imprisonment sentence in a murder case. The decision created widespread criticism from legal experts and the public.

The Supreme Court later reviewed the case and restored Koirala’s original life sentence.

The case became one of the issues frequently discussed by critics of Rana’s leadership.

Impeachment Process And Supreme Court Writ Petitions

After Rana’s suspension, the impeachment process continued for several months but remained incomplete.

The House of Representatives ended its term before Parliament could complete the impeachment proceedings.

After the federal election and change in Parliament, questions emerged over whether the impeachment motion against Rana was still active.

In December 2022, the Federal Parliament Secretariat issued a letter stating that the impeachment motion had become inactive after the previous House term ended.

This decision was challenged at the Supreme Court through writ petitions filed by legal groups, including the Nepal Bar Association and Supreme Court Bar Association.

Supreme Court Decision On Rana’s Impeachment Status

On September 9, 2026, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma dismissed four writ petitions related to Rana’s impeachment status.

The court ruled that the impeachment process had effectively ended after the parliamentary term expired without a final decision.

The decision cleared the way for Rana’s retirement benefits and pension facilities, which had remained disputed during the legal process.

However, the Supreme Court decision did not rule that all allegations raised during the impeachment process were true or false. It mainly addressed the legal status of the unfinished impeachment process.

Why Was Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana Arrested?

At this point, the exact reason behind Rana’s arrest is still unknown.

Although his arrest has brought renewed attention to his impeachment history, previous allegations, and controversies during his time as Chief Justice, Nepal Police has not confirmed that the detention is connected to those matters.

The public will have to wait for official information from investigating authorities. Until then, only the arrest itself has been confirmed.