Gautam, who was arrested from Bagbazar in Kathmandu, was taken to the Sundhara-based Central Jail after he was produced at the Kathmandu District Court on Tuesday.

Senior Superintendent of Police Uttam Karki of Central Investigation Bureau said Gautam was convicted of murdering Shrestha in 1998. On March 2013, the Okhaldhunga District Court had sentenced Gautam to life imprisonment in absentia.

Earlier in 2004, the court had convicted nine others, including former Constituent Assembly member Bal Krishna Dhungel. He served a brief jail term before being freed in 2006, as the Appellate Court overturned the verdict of the district court.

In 2010, the Supreme Court had upheld the original decision of the Okhaldhunga District Court and ordered that Dhungel should spend his life behind bars, but the verdict was never implemented.

Although the Baburam Bhattarai-led government was preparing to grant amnesty to Dhungel, the Supreme Court in 2011 had stayed the decision after hearing the writ petition filed by Ujjan’s sister, Sabitri. In the second CA election, the Election Commission had also refused to register Dhungel’s name as Proportional Representative candidate from the UCPN (Maoist).

“We got some relief after learning about Gautam’s arrest,” said Sabitri. “But the justice will not be delivered until Dhungel has also been arrested.”

Shrestha was allegedly shot dead by Dhungel while Gautam helped him by holding a torchlight on the victim’s face on 24 June 1998.

 Meanwhile, CPN-Maoist has objected Gautam’s arrest saying the move is against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Interim Constitution and recently endorsed bill on transitional mechanism. The party has warned of protest if the government does not correct the move.