KATHMANDU: The Judicial Council has recommended Judge Basudev Acharya, who ordered the release of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane on bail in the organized crime and cooperative fraud case, for recommend as the Chairperson of the Special Court in Kathmandu.

The recommendation was made during the Judicial Council’s meeting on Thursday. Acharya has been nominated to head the Special Court, which primarily hears corruption, money laundering and other high-profile cases.

In December 2025, a joint bench of Judges Basudev Acharya and Tej Narayan Poudel ordered Lamichhane’s release after he deposited Rs. 27.484 million in bail, equivalent to the amount attributed to him in the alleged cooperative fraud.

The ruling sparked significant debate within Nepal’s legal community over whether an accused in a cooperative fraud case could be released by depositing only the proportionate amount of the alleged embezzlement attributed to them.

The order overturned the earlier position of the Supreme Court, Hight Court and District Court, which had declined to release Lamichhane. The High Court bench instead allowed his release upon payment of bail equal to the amount allegedly linked to him.

Although judges are generally transferred every two years as part of the judiciary’s regular rotation system, Judge Acharya has been recommended for transfer after serving just one year, making the move notable.