Niraula panel wins Patan High Court Bar poll; Supreme Court seeks reply on rigging writ
Sewantraj Niraula was elected president on 15 August. A lawyers’ group that boycotted the vote, alleging fake voters, has asked the Supreme Court to order a fresh election.
A panel led by Advocate Sewantraj Niraula won the election of the High Court Bar Association, Patan, held on Saturday 15 August (30 Shrawan 2083 BS). A lawyers’ group that boycotted the vote, alleging rigging, has filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court, which has issued a show-cause order to the respondents.
According to Himal Press, Niraula received 1,152 votes for president. Bhesh Raj Pokharel of the Independent Lawyers’ Forum received 199 and Devi Prasad Rijal of the Democratic Lawyers’ Association 122.
Niraula’s panel also won the posts of vice-president (Durga Prasad Chimariya), secretary (Rajiv Kumar Pokharel), treasurer (Dil Kumar Karki) and women’s joint secretary (Seema Subedi). Ratopati English reported that 2,366 lawyers were eligible to vote for nine office-bearers and 19 executive committee members, for a two-year term.
Boycott and allegations
On polling day the Independent Lawyers’ Forum issued a statement announcing a boycott. Its acting chair, Harichandra Bhattarai, alleged that the election was “rigged, one-sided, opaque and neither free nor fair”. The forum claimed that unauthorised people were involved in running the poll and that lawyers’ voting rights had been harmed. We could not find any public response from the election committee to these allegations.
The writ petition
The forum and its chair, Advocate Harichandra Bhattarai, petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus quashing the election and all related proceedings and ordering a fresh poll. The petition alleges that fake voters cast ballots and disputes how the election committee was formed and how identity cards were used. The Nepal Bar Association is among the respondents. The petitioners also sought an interim order stopping the newly elected office-bearers from taking up their duties.
According to Kanoon Post, a single bench of Justice Shrikant Paudel issued a show-cause order requiring the respondents to file a written reply within 15 days. The bench listed the matter for 26 August (10 Bhadau) to hear both sides on whether to grant the interim order, and directed the election committee to appear with the relevant documents.
A show-cause order is not a ruling on the merits. It requires the other side to explain its position before the court decides.
Where things stand
We have not been able to confirm whether an interim order was granted after the 26 August hearing. The forum also complained to the Nepal Bar Association asking for an inquiry; no decision by the central bar has been made public. Until the case is decided, the court has made no finding on the validity of the election.
Sources
Other reporting
- Niraula’s panel elected to lead the High Court Bar — Himal Press, 16 August 2026 (31 Shrawan 2083)
- Allegations of rigging in the Patan High Court Bar Association election — Ratopati, 15 August 2026 (30 Shrawan 2083)
- Patan High Court Bar Association Election: Three Groups Compete — Ratopati English
- Supreme Court show-cause order in Patan High Court Bar election dispute — Kanoon Post, 21 August 2026 (5 Bhadau 2083)
