The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed its administration to register a writ petition challenging the decision of the Attorney General’s Office to issue a letter stating that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane has no cases against him related to cooperatives funds misappropriation.

At Lamichhane’s request, the OAG on May 7 issued a letter in favour of Lamichhane, who also chairs the Rastriya Swatantra Party. Last week, advocate Anupam Bhattarai moved the top court challenging the decision. However, the court administration refused to register the petition.

Bhattarai went to the Supreme Court against the decision. After a hearing, a single bench of Justice Tek Prasad Dhungana directed the court administration to register the petition. “I will file the petition on Friday,” Bhattarai told the Post. Hearing in the case is likely to begin on Sunday.

Bhattarai has demanded three rulings from the top court. First, scrap the letter which was issued without any legal basis. Second, direct the OAG not to issue such letters in the future and suspend Lamichhane from his position for the duration of the investigation on the cooperatives fraud.