Kathmandu, September 11: The Supreme Court has issued a show-cause order on a public interest writ petition seeking to stop the arbitrary use of handcuffs on arrested and detained individuals.
A single bench of Justice Meghraj Pokharel on September 10, 2026 (Bhadra 25, 2083), ordered the defendants to submit written responses. The petition names the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepal Police Headquarters and the Press Council Nepal as defendants.
Law students Roshan Aujhi, Bikash Yadav and Bibek Chaudhary of Nepal Law Campus filed the petition. They have argued that handcuffs should be used only as an exceptional measure when objectively assessed risks justify their use.
The petition also seeks restrictions on the publication or broadcast of photographs and videos showing suspects in handcuffs. The petitioners argue that such images can portray people as criminals in the eyes of the public before a court has found them guilty.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on the request for an interim order for September 21, 2026. The court will hear both sides before deciding whether to issue the interim order.
Given that the petition concerns fundamental rights, human rights and police detention practices, the court has also given the case priority for an early hearing.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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