KATHMANDU: Rekha Sharma, a lawmaker from the CPN (UML) in the Lumbini Province Assembly, has been released following an order from the District Court Kathmandu on Sunday. The court concluded that there were no sufficient grounds to keep her in custody.

The bench of Judge Jagat Paudel based its decision largely on the earlier ruling by government attorneys not to pursue the case. In its order, the court stated that the evidence presented did not clearly substantiate serious allegations against Sharma, including claims that she had kept a minor in servitude.

The court also noted that the alleged victim was regularly attending school and that Sharma appeared to have been acting in a guardian-like role, as indicated in the case records. Earlier, the Office of the Attorney General had decided on May 30, 2025, not to file charges in the case.

However, Sharma was later re-arrested and investigated following an initiative led by Balen Shah, the then mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. With the latest court order, she has now been released from custody, while further investigation will continue with her remaining outside detention.