Nepal Police on Sunday arrested the outgoing Speaker of Nepal’s Parliament, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, on rape charge.
According to media reports, a police team, led by deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Durgaraj Regmi at Metropolitan Police Circle, New Baneshwaor, arrested Mahara from his official residence in Baluwatar.
Mahara quit the post of Speaker on October 1 after pressure from the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) over the allegations of a female employee that she was raped by Mahara.
Police said, Mahara was arrested after the Kathmandu District Court issued an arrest warrant against him for allegedly raping the female employee.
The arrest warrant was issued by a single bench of Judge Brajesh Pyakurel.
Mahara will be under the custody of the Metropolitan Police Circle, New Baneshwor.
Earlier today, a single bench of Judge Brajesh Pyakurel had issued the warrant paving the way for the law enforcement agency to arrest the outgoing Speaker.
Police registered a case on Saturday after receiving a formal complaint from the victim woman.
The victim lodged the formal complaint with the police against Mahara on Friday for attempting to rape her.
Police said they filed the case against the former Speaker on charges of attempt to rape and acts of violence.
Mahara resigned from the post following the accusation.
In a video released by a news portal ‘Hamro Kura’, the woman claimed she has known Mahara for years and that he has behaved indecently with her in the past as well.
The woman alleged that Mahara had visited her rented room on September 23 while she was alone, say media reports.
The woman also alleged that she had tried to stop Mahara, who was in an inebriated state, from entering her home but he did not listen.
She alleged that Mahara forced himself on her and when she tried to stop him, he abused her.
In the video, the woman also showed blue marks on her body saying that those were the places where Mahara had struck her.
Though Mahara resigned from the post of Speaker, he continued to be a member of the House of Representative.
As per the Nepalese law, Mahara may face up to five years of imprisonment if he is proved guilty.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also formed a three-member panel to monitor probe into the alleged rape charge against Mahara.