KATHMANDU: Rajesh Man Singh is the sitting mayor of Birgunj Metropolitan City, the commercial gateway between Nepal and India and the only metropolis in Madhesh Province. Elected in 2022 on a Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) ticket as the common candidate of the ruling five-party coalition, he defeated then-incumbent Bijay Kumar Sarawagi by a margin of over 22,000 votes.

With roots in student politics going back to 1986 through the Nepal Students Union, Singh spent decades building his career through Nepali Congress, Rastriya Janata Party Nepal, and eventually JSP.

He first ran for mayor in the 2017 local elections but came third. His 2022 victory was seen as a significant political arrival in the Madhesh political landscape.

Here is a full breakdown of who Rajesh Man Singh is, what he is accused of, what authorities have said, and where the law goes from here.

What exactly is Rajesh Man Singh accused of?

Singh is accused of committing document forgery in connection with the citizenship process of a young woman named Rubina Shrestha. The allegation is that he used a false birth registration certificate issued from Ward No. 3 of Birgunj Metropolitan City on November 6, 2014, to help Shrestha obtain Nepali citizenship.

The complaint, initially filed by one Liaqat Ali with the District Police Office in Parsa, falls under offenses related to documents, commonly referred to as “kirte” or forgery in Nepal’s legal framework. The original complaint had also been submitted to the District Administration Office in Parsa.

The core accusation is that official documentation was fabricated or misused to secure citizenship for someone who may not have been entitled to receive it through the described lineage.

Who is Rubina Shrestha and what is her connection to the mayor?

Rubina Shrestha is the woman at the center of the citizenship controversy. When the case first became public, the accusation was that Singh had falsely posed as a father figure to help a girl unrelated to him secure citizenship by descent, which would be a serious abuse of his position.

However, when the Ministry of Home Affairs sent an investigation committee to look into the matter, Singh admitted during his statement that Rubina is in fact his own biological daughter, born from his second wife, Rita Bhattarai. He disclosed the existence of a second wife for the first time during that interrogation, a detail he had kept hidden.

So while Singh claims the relationship is genuine, the legal issue centers on whether the documents used to establish that relationship for citizenship purposes were authentic or forged.

When did this case first come to light?

The issue first gained public attention in late 2023 when a complaint was lodged with the Parsa District Administration Office. The District Police Office formally registered the complaint in early 2024.

Parsa District Administration Office

Around February 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs constituted an investigation team led by Under Secretary Pushkar Rana to look into the allegations. It was during that inquiry that Singh admitted to having a second wife and acknowledged that he had helped Rubina obtain citizenship.

Since then, the case has moved through the judicial system, and on May 26, 2026, the Parsa District Court formally issued the arrest warrant against him.

What did the police say about the case?

When the complaint was registered, then-Deputy Superintendent of Police Kumar Bikram Thapa confirmed to media that the case had been formally lodged with the District Police Office in Parsa. He stated that while the complaint had arrived earlier, it was formally entered into the records at that point.

The police indicated that the case involved offenses related to documents and citizenship under Nepal’s laws. After the court issued the arrest warrant on May 26, 2026, the District Police Office in Parsa became the executing authority responsible for carrying out the court’s direction and proceeding with the investigation through lawful arrest of the accused.

What does the court order mean in practical terms?

The Parsa District Court’s issuance of an arrest warrant is a formal judicial instruction directing the District Police Office to take Rajeshman Singh into custody for the purpose of investigation.

Parsa District Court

Under Nepal’s criminal procedure framework, once a court issues such a warrant, it authorizes police to arrest the named individual without further legal barriers. This is not yet a conviction or even a charge sheet, but it is a significant legal step that elevates the matter from a complaint stage to a court-directed investigation.

The warrant signals that the court found sufficient ground to believe Singh’s presence and arrest were necessary for the investigation to proceed properly.

What does Nepal’s Criminal Code 2017 say about forgery?

Nepal’s National Penal Code, 2017, which came into full effect in August 2018, specifically deals with document forgery under Chapter 25.

Section 276 of the code prohibits the creation of false documents or electronic records with the intention of causing harm to others or gaining personal benefit. The severity of punishment depends on the nature of the document involved.

For forgery involving official government documents, imprisonment of up to seven years is prescribed. For documents related to courts or government proceedings, the punishment can extend to eight years.

If the document is a presidential-level instrument, the imprisonment can go up to ten years. Additionally, Section 277 holds that possession or use of a forged document carries imprisonment of up to three years.

The citizenship certificate and birth registration certificate at the center of this case are government documents, placing the alleged offense in the category that could attract up to seven years of imprisonment if a conviction is reached.

What procedure does the criminal code prescribe after an arrest warrant is issued?

Under the National Criminal Procedure Code, 2017, once a court issues an arrest warrant, police are obligated to execute it by taking the accused into custody within a legally prescribed timeframe.

After arrest, the accused must be produced before the concerned court within 24 hours. From that point, the court determines whether to remand the accused into judicial or police custody for further investigation or whether to grant bail depending on the nature of the offense, the strength of evidence, and the risk of the accused fleeing or tampering with evidence.

Forgery involving government documents is treated as a serious offense, and bail may be contested. Following custodial investigation, if the investigating authority finds adequate grounds, a formal charge sheet is filed before the court, and the case then moves into the trial stage.

The accused has the right to legal representation throughout this process.

Can Singh continue as mayor despite the arrest warrant?

Under Nepal’s legal framework, the mere issuance of an arrest warrant does not automatically disqualify an elected official from holding their position. Singh remains the mayor of Birgunj Metropolitan City at this stage.

Disqualification from public office typically requires a court conviction, not just an investigation or arrest. However, the political and administrative pressure generated by such a case is significant.

His ability to function effectively as mayor, command public trust, and receive support from his party could all be affected. If he is convicted by a court and sentenced to imprisonment for the offense, that would create legal grounds for removal from the mayoral post under Nepal’s Local Government Operation Act and related election laws.

What was the Home Ministry’s role in this case?

The Ministry of Home Affairs took early institutional note of the complaint and dispatched an independent investigation team to record statements and look into the allegation.

The team, led by Under Secretary Pushkar Rana and including then-Section Officer (now Under Secretary) Parshuram Pokharel, conducted inquiries and recorded Singh’s statement, during which he disclosed his second marriage and acknowledged helping Rubina Shrestha obtain citizenship.

Ministry of Home Affairs

The ministry’s team was also tasked with investigating the disappearance of original citizenship files from the Parsa District Administration Office, and with looking into whether DAO staff who recommended citizenship for Shrestha played any improper role.

This means the investigation potentially extends beyond Singh to institutional failures within the citizenship-issuing process itself.

What is Rajesh Man Singh’s political background and party affiliation?

Singh began his political journey in 1986 as a student activist aligned with the Nepal Students Union, the student wing of Nepali Congress. He entered electoral politics through Nepali Congress and won a ward member seat in the 1997 local elections in Birgunj.

Over the following years, he shifted affiliations in step with the churning Madhesh political movement, eventually becoming General Secretary of the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal in the early 2010s. He ran for mayor in 2017 but came third.

Before the 2022 local elections, he joined the Janata Samajwadi Party following the invitation of JSP chairman Upendra Yadav and co-chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai. He contested and won the 2022 race as a coalition candidate backed by multiple parties including Nepali Congress, then-CPN (Maoist Centre) and then-CPN (Unified Socialist), securing 46,215 votes.

Is there any political dimension to this case?

Birgunj is a city with high political stakes given its position as Nepal’s main trade hub with India. Singh’s election was itself part of a coalition arrangement, and his political survival depends on continued party backing as the coalition has now been fragmented and become weaker with the rise of Rastriya Swatantra Party.

The Janata Samajwadi Party, with which he is affiliated, has had its own internal tensions in recent years over mergers, splits, and alignments. A legal case of this magnitude against a sitting mayor in the Madhesh region naturally carries political ripple effects, both for his party and for the broader governance system at the province and federal levels.

Whether his party stands by him or distances itself from the controversy will be an important indicator of his political future, particularly if the case progresses to trial.

What are the key dates and milestones in this case?

The case has developed over a period of nearly two and a half years. The birth registration certificate that forms the basis of the case was issued on November 6, 2014. The Parsa DAO issued Rubina Shrestha’s citizenship on July 29, 2018. A copy was obtained on February 20, 2020.

The complaint first landed at the Parsa District Administration Office and was formally registered with the District Police Office in early 2024.

In February 2024, the Home Ministry dispatched an investigation committee, and Singh admitted to having a second wife and having assisted Shrestha in the citizenship process.

The case was filed at Parsa District Court, where it moved through preliminary stages.

On May 26, 2026, the court issued the formal arrest warrant under the document forgery provisions of Nepal’s criminal law, which now sets the stage for Singh’s potential arrest and the next phase of criminal proceedings.