KATHMANDU, Oct 26: Khagendra Sunar, who had been recommended as Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security in Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s expanded cabinet, was removed from the ministerial lineup just before the swearing-in ceremony.
Sunar’s name was withdrawn at the eleventh hour after it emerged that he was facing multiple criminal cases in various courts and had previously been issued an arrest warrant. The oath-taking ceremony was scheduled for 2:30 PM on Sunday at Sheetal Niwas.
Prime Minister Karki decided to halt Sunar’s appointment following mounting public criticism and controversy over his selection, which had sparked outrage even before he could assume office.
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According to court documents, Sunar faces cases in the Supreme Court, Surkhet District Court, and Kavre District Court on charges including vandalism of a health institution, cybercrime, and contempt of court.
At the Surkhet District Court, a case filed by Dr. Sojan Sapkota accuses Sunar of vandalising Mehelkuna Hospital in Gurbhakot Municipality-8 and assaulting a health worker. The court had issued a seven-day arrest warrant against him in Asar 2081, which was later revoked after he appeared and began attending hearings.
In Kavre, advocate Manisha Gautam lodged a complaint under the Electronic Transactions Act, alleging that Sunar had posted abusive and defamatory content about her on Facebook.
A separate contempt of court case is underway at the Supreme Court after Sunar allegedly made disparaging remarks against judges over the verdict in the Nawaraj BK murder case of Jajarkot.
Sunar, a Nepali Congress (NC) General Convention representative from Dailekh Constituency-1 during the party’s 14th General Convention, was among the new names proposed in Karki’s cabinet expansion.
His removal has, however, thrown the prime minister’s much-anticipated cabinet expansion into fresh controversy.
