November 5: District Court, Kathmandu has sent former speaker of the House of Representatives Krishna Bahadur Mahara to Dillibazar Prison in an attempt to rape case filed by Roshani Shahi, a staffer at the Parliament Secretariat.

Chief of the District Court, Judge Sudarshan Raj Pandey issued an order on Monday to keep Mahara in judicial custody until the final verdict.

The government lawyers and Mahara’s defense lawyers presented their views during the hearing on Monday after which the judge issued such order.

Senior advocates Raman Kumar Shrestha, Sher Bahadur KC, Kabita Bhandari Baral and Krishna Prasad Sapkota defended Mahara on the second day of the hearing while government lawyers demanded extending his custody.

Mahara, who was arrested on October 6, said before the judge that he had not visited the room of the alleged victim Roshani Shahi. He said that Shahi was a family friend and he had only talked with her over the phone.