Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has issued an interim order barring the arrest of former Prime Minister and former Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba.
A division bench of Justices Mahesh Sharma Poudel and Nityananda Pandeya issued the order on Monday while hearing a writ petition filed by Deuba.
The bench ordered authorities not to arrest Deuba based on an arrest warrant issued by the Kathmandu District Court on April 7.
Deuba, who is currently in Singapore, had filed the writ petition through a proxy, arguing that the conditions outlined in Section 16(1)(c) of the Asset (Money) Laundering Prevention Act, 2008, were not applicable in his case. He had sought an interim order to prevent authorities from arresting or detaining him in any manner and also requested that no obstruction be created in clearing the debris of his Budhanilkantha residence, which was damaged in a fire during last September’s protests.
“Since the jurisdiction to hear cases involving offences investigated by the Department of Money Laundering Investigation lies with the Special Court, the permission granted by the Kathmandu District Court on 2082/12/24 to issue an arrest warrant before the promulgation of the ordinance appears to have automatically become void or inactive,” the bench said in its order
