Kathmandu, July 12: Former King Gyanendra Shah’s secretariat has agreed to stop using the royal title ‘Shree Panch’ in official documents, acknowledging that Nepal’s laws no longer recognize the monarchy or such titles.
On Friday, Shah’s press secretary, Dr. Phani Raj Pathak, was summoned by the District Police Range (DPR), Kathmandu, for clarification after the secretariat continued using royal language in official communications. Superintendent of Police Apil Raj Bohara confirmed that the secretariat pledged to remove the title from all documents and social media posts.
Pathak was released on the condition that he refer to Shah’s office strictly as a private secretariat, not as that of a reigning monarch. According to police, Pathak agreed to adhere to constitutional language in all future communications.
The summons came amid growing criticism—both public and parliamentary—over the secretariat’s use of the defunct honorific “Shree Panch Maharajadhiraj”, once reserved for ruling monarchs. Despite Nepal’s transition to a federal democratic republic in 2008, Shah had continued issuing statements under royal letterheads bearing the old insignia.
Fifteen years after the monarchy’s abolition, the former king’s use of regal language is widely seen as resistance to Nepal’s republican order. His continued use of monarchical symbols directly violates both the Interim Constitution of 2063 and the Constitution of Nepal 2072, which formally ended the 238-year Shah dynasty.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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