The Supreme Court on Monday issued a show-cause order to the government, asking it to justify the arrest and detention of former home minister Ramesh Lekhak.

A single bench of Justice Kumar Regmi issued the order in response to a habeas corpus petition filed by Lekhak’s wife, Yashoda Lekhak, who claimed that her husband was being held in unlawful detention.

In the petition, she argued that the former home minister’s arrest lacked legal grounds and sought his immediate release.

The court has directed the authorities to furnish a written explanation clarifying the basis for his detention.

The order comes a day after the Kathmandu District Court remanded Lekhak and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli to five days in custody for investigation into their alleged negligence linked to the deaths of protesters during the Gen Z-led protests in September.