KATHMANDU: Deepak Manange, also known as Rajiv Gurung, a former provincial assembly member in Gandaki Province serving a five-year prison sentence for organized violence, has been barred from contesting elections for an additional six years after completing his term, Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled.

Manange, twice elected from Manang’s Provincial Assembly Constituency 2, was serving his sentence at Dillibazar Prison. The Supreme Court clarified that his six-year disqualification starts from the date of his release, effectively stripping him of his assembly seat and paving the way for a by-election in the constituency.

Manange was initially arrested in 2005 in connection with violent attacks on a rival gang. He was sentenced to two years by the Kathmandu District Court, later overturned on appeal to a five-year sentence by the Patan Appellate Court. Nepal’s Provincial Assembly Member Election Act bars anyone who has served a sentence of five years or more from running for office for six years after completing their term.

The Supreme Court ruling followed a writ petition questioning Manange’s eligibility, after he had allegedly misled the Election Commission and been elected while technically disqualified. Since the final verdict, he has been serving his sentence at Dillibazar Prison.

Manange has previously held multiple ministerial portfolios, including Youth and Sports, Physical Infrastructure, and Forestry, and changed political allegiances several times during his career.

The by-election in Rupandehi-3, left vacant after the death of lawmaker Deepak Bohara, is now expected to proceed, with the Election Commission awaiting official directives following the Supreme Court decision.