Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has upheld then Patan Appellate Court’s decision to convict Gandaki Province Assembly member Rajiv Gurung, also known as Deepak Manange, in an attempted murder case.
A division bench of Justices Dr Nahakul Subedi and Tek Prasad Dhungana endorsed the lower court’s verdict on Tuesday.
The appeals court, which is now Patan High Court, had handed Gurung a five-year jail sentence in 2012 for his involvement in a 2004 attack on rival gang leader Milan Gurung, aka Chakre Milan.
Manange was initially arrested after the appeals court sentenced him to five years in prison. However, he was released under legal provisions that allow defendants to remain outside prison while awaiting trial if the sentence is less than 10 years.
While his case was still pending at the apex Court, Gurung was elected twice as a Gandaki Province Assembly member from Manang and was appointed as a minister several times. He resigned from the province government on September 2, expressing dissatisfaction over portfolio allocation.
