4 Ashad, Kathmandu. The Patan High Court has issued an interim order in the name of Kathmandu Metropolitan City not to suspend Municipal Police Chief Rajunath Pandey.

The High Court’s order, issued after hearing both sides, will continue to be implemented until the writ petition is resolved. Following the High Court’s order, Municipal Police Chief Pandey will be allowed to return to work immediately.

The decision to appoint another person as the city police chief in his place is also now on hold. This order of the High Court has given moral strength to Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah.

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration had transferred Joint Secretary Saroj Guragain as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Metropolitan City. Mayor Balen had removed Guragain from regular work after questioning his decision regarding the Kathmandu Tower in the old bus park.

Mayor Balen, repeatedly raising questions about Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, had urged the government to send another Chief Administrative Officer instead of Guragain. But the government said that Guragain was the official Chief Administrative Officer and should be given an environment to work.

On 21 Chaitra, 2081, the Chief Administrative Officer entered his office along with other people’s representatives and employees of the metropolis. In the process, a municipal police team led by Rajunath Pandey had prevented him from entering the office. Guragain claimed that he was mobbed and assaulted in the process.

After entering the office of Guragain, he had initiated an investigation and sought an explanation from Pandey, who had obstructed him. In the process, he had suspended Pandey for 6 months. The suspended Chief Pandey has filed a writ petition in the High Court against the decision of the Chief Administrative Officer Guragain.

The bench of Justices Rishi Rajbhandari and Dilli Ratna Shrestha seems to have taken Pandey’s claim that he had ‘even made security arrangements in the metropolitan area, which was more crowded than usual’ as a matter of course.

The High Court said in its order, ‘Since he is working as the Senior Municipal Police Superintendent of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Metropolitan Police Force, it seems that his (Pandey’s) official responsibility also includes managing the security arrangements of the metropolitan city.’

The Patan High Court has ordered his reinstatement, saying that from the perspective of convenience and balance, there is no need to suspend him. The High Court has ordered to maintain the status quo without implementing the suspension letter and allow him to continue working in his position.

The interim order issued by the joint bench after hearing both the parties will remain in force till the case is resolved. According to the court order, he will be allowed to work as the Chief of the Metropolitan Police in his previous capacity.