KATHMANDU: The Butwal bench of the Tulsipur High Court has ordered the retrieval of prior orders and case files in the corruption case against former Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane and ex-Gorkha Media director Chhabilal Joshi.

The order was issued Thursday by a bench of Justices Basudev Acharya and Omprakash Aryal.

According to the court’s information officer Ram Bahadur Kunwar, once the files are received, the next hearing will be scheduled.

No deadline has been set for the submission of the files.

The case involves Lamichhane and Joshi’s alleged embezzlement and organized crime linked to the Supreme Cooperative scam.

A collective bail of Rs 109.36 million was imposed on all defendants.

Lamichhane deposited Rs 27.48 million of his share, but the District Court, Rupandehi, had earlier denied his release.

Both Lamichhane and Joshi remain in custody—Lamichhane in Nakkhu and Joshi in Bhairahawa.

The parliamentary probe had recommended action against the accused in a report submitted to the House on September 16, 2024.

Following the report, former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak directed police to act, leading to Joshi’s arrest on September 22, 2024 and Lamichhane’s on October 18, 2024.

Earlier attempts by Lamichhane to secure release through partial bail were blocked, prompting appeals to the High Court under Section 73 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 2017.

Thursday’s hearing addressed these pending appeals and the retrieval of the case files.