KATHMANDU: Former Gandaki Province minister Rajiv Gurung aka Deepak Manange has been sent to prison.
Manange, who is also a member of the Gandaki Province Assembly, was arrested on Tuesday morning from the Sanobharyang area of Kathmandu and subsequently presented before the Kathmandu District Court. From there, he was sent to Dillibazar prison to complete his remaining sentence.
A division bench of Supreme Court Justices Dr Nahakul Subedi and Tek Prasad Dhungana on November 5 upheld Patan Appellate Court’s 12-year-old decision to convict Manange in an attempted murder case. A gang led by Manange had attacked rival gang leader Milan Gurung aka Chakre Milan using a sword some 21 years ago.
Although Manange was arrested and jailed following the appeals court verdict, the Supreme Court ordered his release after he challenged the appeals court’s decision in the apex court. He stayed in prison for eight months.
After his release, Manange was elected to the Gandaki Province Assembly twice and became minister six times, taking advantage of the hung parliament.