Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Member of Gandaki Province Assembly, Rajiv Gurung aka Deepak Manange, who was convicted of attempted murder by the Supreme Court, has stated that he will appear in court after receiving the full text of the verdict.
“I wish to inform all that I will personally appear in court after receiving the written full text of the verdict from the honorable Supreme Court,” he said in a press statement issued on Friday.
Gurung said he switched off his mobile phone after receiving non-stop calls from media outlets following the apex court’s verdict on Tuesday.
A division bench of Justices Justices Nahakul Subedi and Tek Prasad Dhungana upheld the previous decision of the Patan Appellate Court while hearing his appeal.
The Kathmandu District Court had sentenced him to two years imprisonment in 2006. However, government attorneys challenged the decision in the appeals court which increased the sentence to five years.
The Patan Appellate Court partially overturned the district court’s decision and increased the sentence to five years. Even after the appellate court’s verdict, Gurung remained at large, and the government showed little interest in arresting him. He was finally arrested in Kathmandu on April 19 and presented in court the following day.
Gurung challenged the appeals court’s verdict in the apex court only after his arrest. hadn’t filed an appeal for 6 years after the appellate court’s verdict, only appealed to the Supreme Court after his arrest. The Supreme Court administration initially stated that the deadline to file an appeal had expired. It, however, registered the appeal and released him on a bail of Rs 27,375.
Since then, Gurung has been elected to the Gandaki Province Assembly twice and served as province minister multiple times.
