KATHMANDU, Sept 16: Seven case files that survived the arson and vandalism during the Gen Z protests on September 9, 2025, have mysteriously disappeared from Kathmandu District Court.
The surviving case files, records and documents had been moved to an empty room of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and kept under lock and key after the court building was attacked. The seven files reportedly went missing while still locked away, raising concerns that evidence could have been lost or destroyed.
Following complaints, the Kathmandu District Court quietly formed a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the missing files. The committee, comprising officials Tara Subedi, Jhabindra Gaire and Nayab Subba Rajan Kumar Khadka, submitted a report on November 16, 2025, concluding that the seven files could not be located.
According to the report, the files had been found during an initial inspection after the September 9 protests and packed in sacks for safekeeping. But after the files were shifted to the Civil Aviation Authority building, the sacks were opened and searched, and the files could no longer be found.
The missing files relate to seven cases, including two cheque dishonour cases, two forgery and fraud cases, a cheque fraud case, a writ seeking a restraining order and a fraud case. All seven cases had been decided by a bench of District Judge Durga Khadka on June 30, 2025. After the verdicts, the files were combined and kept together at Section No. 8 of the Kathmandu District Court. They were among the records found intact after the Gen Z protests.
Concerned parties later filed a complaint with Kathmandu police seeking an investigation and action against those responsible. Police reportedly refused to register the complaint, prompting one affected party to approach the Patan High Court.
A High Court official said the district court had received complaints demanding a serious investigation into the theft but had not initiated further action. The police also reportedly refused to register the theft complaint.
The affected party approached the High Court after seeking help from the district government attorney’s office, Kathmandu District Administration Office and Home Ministry without finding a solution. The district court has informed the High Court that the files could not be found, while police and government attorneys have said they do not possess them.
Court officials suspect that additional files may also be missing, although the exact number has not yet been established.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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