KATHMANDU: Patan High Court has upheld a lower court order to keep former Madhesh Province chief Rajesh Jha, also known as Rajesh Ahiraj, in custody pending trial on rape allegations.

A bench of Chief Judge Lal Bahadur Kunwar and Judge Khadananda Tiwari endorsed the Kathmandu District Court’s ruling that sent Jha to pretrial jail. He is currently being held at Dillibazar prison.

Jha was arrested on July 19 after a woman accused him of raping her at his rented apartment in Kathmandu’s New Baneshwar area in May. Prosecutors filed charges nine days later, based on a police investigation report.

He was appointed head of Madhesh Province in February 2021 by then-prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli but was removed within six months after Sher Bahadur Deuba came to power. Before entering public province chief, Jha worked in media and publishing, including running the Madheshbani weekly newspaper.