Kathmandu, April 30 -- Resham Chaudhary, patron of the Nagarik Unmukti Party, was released on Wednesday evening, hours after being arrested earlier in the afternoon from the Nepal Academy in Kamaladi, Kathmandu.

The arrest took place while leaders from the Nagarik Unmukti and the CK Raut-led Janamat Party gathered at the venue for a scheduled programme to announce the unification between the two parties.

Chaudhary was detained by police officers in plainclothes and immediately transferred to Dillibazar prison. The arrest was followed by a letter issued by Mahiman Singh Bista, a section officer at the Supreme Court's writ division. The letter, styled like a judicial order, appeared to override the presidential pardon granted to Chaudhary...