Kathmandu, September 28
The Supreme Court has refused to order the release of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) treasurer Rabindra Joshi and accounts officer Sanjiv Pandey, who are in police custody in connection with an ongoing investigation.
A joint bench of Justices Abdul Aziz Musalman and Balkrishna Dhakal declined to order Joshi’s release.
Similarly, a separate joint bench comprising Justices Mahesh Sharma Paudel and Sunil Kumar Pokharel refused to order Pandey’s release.
The court also ordered that both cases be kept with the respective case files and dealt with according to law.
Joshi’s wife, Shobha Joshi, and Pandey’s wife, Anita Pandey, had separately filed habeas corpus petitions at the Supreme Court, claiming that their husbands were being unlawfully detained.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police arrested Joshi and Pandey on September 18 after raiding the ANFA headquarters in Satdobato.
The two are being investigated over alleged match-fixing, irregularities and fraud. The Lalitpur District Court had previously granted the CIB permission to keep them in custody for further investigation.
Police have also been investigating allegations related to ANFA’s financial and administrative activities, including match arrangements and World Cup ticket sales. The allegations remain under investigation.
