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The two judges—Khusi Prasad Tharu and Arjun Maharjan—who acquitted former Nepali Congress lawmaker Mohammad Aftab Alam in a murder case have been summoned by the Judicial Council.

In a meeting held on Thursday, the council decided to relieve them of their current responsibilities and bring them under review.

The Council had formed a one-member investigation committee comprising Supreme Court justice Binod Sharma.

Alam had been accused of orchestrating a deadly bomb-making operation at his residence in Rajpur Farhadawa, Rautahat, on the eve of the first Constituent Assembly elections in 2008.

At the time, he was a candidate and allegedly aimed to use the explosives to capture booths. However, the bomb exploded prematurely, injuring many.

The injured were reportedly burned alive by being thrown into a brick kiln furnace to destroy evidence. The Rautahat district court later convicted Alam and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

However, on May 28, a division bench of the Janakpur high court’s Birgunj bench, led by Judges Tharu and Maharjan, overturned that verdict and acquitted him of all charges. 

The Patan high court has issued an interim order instructing the government not to arrest journalist Dil Bhushan Pathak. The court had previously issued a short-term interim order, which has now been extended following a hearing from both parties. This means that the police cannot arrest Pathak until the final verdict is delivered in the case he has filed.

In another development, the Kathmandu district court has overturned an earlier order that had directed the removal of a news article from Bizmandu.com and Nepal Khabar. The decision came from a bench led by Judge Shyambihari Maurya, which rejected a petition for a restraining order filed by Santosh Narayan Shrestha, chairperson of the Securities Board of Nepal. With the petition dismissed, a previous order issued by Judge Pitambar Sharma requiring the removal of the news article has also been automatically annulled.

Millions of people worldwide, including in Nepal, are unable to have the number of children they desire—not due to a lack of interest in parenthood, but because of growing economic and social constraints, according to the UNFPA’s 2025 State of World Population report titled “The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World.”

Based on data from 14 countries, including Nepal, the report finds that one in five people globally are not having the number of children they want. The reasons include high living costs, job insecurity, unaffordable housing and childcare, lack of reproductive health services, and concerns over global crises such as climate change and conflict.

In Nepal, despite a preference for two or more children, actual fertility has declined to two children per woman across all demographics. Provinces such as Bagmati and Gandaki, which are more urbanized, show a significant mismatch between desired and actual family size due to economic and social pressures. Labor migration, lack of affordable childcare, and gender norms also contribute to this gap. “Some people are prevented from parenthood while others are forced into it,” said Won Young Hong, UNFPA Representative in Nepal. “This is not about overpopulation or declining fertility—it’s about creating an enabling environment for reproductive choices.”

Globally, over 50 percent of survey respondents pointed to economic issues as key barriers to having children. In Nepal, urbanization, rising costs, and the absence of flexible work policies are making parenthood less feasible, especially for young couples. The report also notes a significant number of people over 50 saying they didn’t achieve their desired family size, and that in regions like Madhesh, many report having more children than planned—both signs of limited reproductive agency.

UNFPA identifies gender inequality as a core issue. In Nepal, caregiving duties fall mostly on women, while men often face stigma for playing nurturing roles. Lack of gender-friendly policies, such as parental leave and flexible work, perpetuate unequal parenting responsibilities.

“This is not just a women’s issue,” the report stresses. It highlights how young men, especially those with less education or economic security, are increasingly unpartnered and socially isolated, contributing to a growing global crisis of loneliness and fractured family structures.

Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, urged a shift from fear over fertility rates to empowering individual choice. “People need economic security and rights-based policies—not coercive measures,” she said.

Health Ministry Secretary Dilliram Sharma emphasized that Nepal’s focus should be on inclusive development through informed reproductive choices. National Planning Commission member Prof. Dr RP Bichha added that population policies should prioritize quality of life and youth productivity.

The report warns against coercive measures like fertility targets and cash incentives, advocating instead for policies that expand access to quality reproductive health services, paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and comprehensive sexuality education. As Nepal faces the prospect of one in five people being over 60 by 2071, UNFPA urges investments in gender-equal, choice-driven policies to secure its demographic future.

The Nawalparasi District Court has granted bail totaling Rs 8m to 12 officials of Palhi Multipurpose Cooperative Society in an embezzlement case. The accused include the cooperative’s chairperson, board members, and accounting staff allegedly involved in misappropriating savers’ funds.

The orders were issued on different dates by three separate benches of judges Keshav Prasad Adhikari, Hari Prasad Sharma, and Ramananda Prasad Adhikari, said Janaki Raman Yadav, the court registrar. 

Cooperative Chairperson Ramkishore Teli was ordered to post the bail amount of Rs 1.5m, while Vice-chairperson Nathu Mali and accounts coordinator Santaram Prasad Yadav were each directed to pay Rs 1m. Other board members including Suresh Prasad Chaudhary, Birendra Kumar Yadav, Ramsewak Chaudhary, Rabindra Pasi, Pramod Yadav, and Sugriva Tiwari were granted bail at Rs 500,000 each. Accounts committee members Janaki Devi Kurmi and Izhar Dhuniya, along with management member Ramanand Yadav, were ordered to pay Rs 500,000 each. 

Most of the accused have paid their bail in cash, while some submitted collateral. Meanwhile, three other accused, Kamala Devi Kahar and Sanjay Kurmi, and Munlal Yadav, remain wanted by authorities.

The scandal came to light when 1,041 depositors, mostly local farmers and laborers, were unable to withdraw their savings from the 1,376-member cooperative. The crisis emerged after years of delayed board elections and unaudited financial records, prompting an investigation that uncovered Rs 8.58m in missing funds. A formal case was filed on Feb 23. The court said that refunds to depositors will only be processed after establishing guilt through due process.