Himal Sharma produced before Appellate Court

Kathmandu Dec 20-After his re-arrest despite a release order by the Supreme Court yesterday, the government produced Himal Sharma, former general secretary of the Maoist student wing, the All Nepal National Independent Students Union (ANNISU-R), before the Patan Appellate Court on Tuesday for hearing on a different case.

Acting on a case filed by the government accusing him of involving in ‘terrorist’ activities including in an explosion at a police post in Kathmandu, the appellate court allowed the authorities to detain Sharma for 20 days. The appellate court gave the detention order, reviewing its earlier order which allowed authorities to detain the rebel student for 25 days.

Sharma, who was arrested from Asan, Kathmandu, two-and-half-years ago, had been detained incommunicado until March this year when the government disclosed his whereabouts. He was brought to Kathmandu from Gorkha two weeks earlier.

On Monday, he was taken to the Supreme Court amidst tight security for hearing on a habeas corpus writ petition. A joint bench of Justices Kedar Prasad Giri and Tapa Bahadur Magar had ordered his release but police rearrested him from the court premises.