Former Nepali Congress lawmaker Mohammad Aftab Alam has been admitted to Annapurna Neuro Hospital after suffering a stroke.

According to Dr Sudan Dhakal, the hospital’s medical director, Alam experienced health complications on Friday and is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.

Alam was released from Nakkhu Jail in Lalitpur on Wednesday evening following an order by the temporary bench of the Janakpur High Court in Birgunj, which overturned the Rautahat District Court’s life imprisonment verdict against him.

The Janakpur High Court acquitted Alam in connection with the 2008 Rautahat blast and subsequent killings, citing insufficient evidence to uphold the conviction.

A division bench of justices Khusi Prasad Tharu and Arjun Maharjan ruled that the evidence presented during the trial was not strong enough to sustain the charges. The court ordered the immediate release of Alam and his co-defendants.

In April 2024, the Rautahat District Court had sentenced Alam, his brother Mohammad Mahatab Alam, and two others—Shekh Saraj and Badri Sahani—to life imprisonment for allegedly orchestrating a deadly explosion and killing injured survivors by burning them in a brick kiln in Rajpur, Rautahat, on April 9, 2008.

The incident occurred on the eve of Nepal’s first Constituent Assembly elections. A powerful explosion took place in a shed in Rajpur, reportedly while bombs were being assembled. It remains unclear how many people died in the blast, but injured individuals were allegedly killed to destroy evidence.

The case gained traction after a 2012 Supreme Court order led to a fresh investigation. A case was formally filed in November 2019, and Alam was arrested on October 13 of that year.

Alam had denied the charges and appealed the district court’s ruling. The High Court’s acquittal has prompted mixed reactions, with his supporters welcoming the decision while victims’ families have expressed concern over the verdict’s implications for justice.

Alam was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 2008 and later served as minister for labour and transport management. After his arrest, his son Mohammad Rajik Alam entered politics and was elected mayor of Rajpur Municipality in the 2022 local elections.