Journalist Kishor Shrestha, editor-in-chief of the weekly Jana Aastha, has reportedly been arrested for the second time in two months.
However, no official police statement is out yet.
Police took Shrestha from his home on Saturday and were taking him to the Cyber Bureau. The action followed a complaint by Himesh Pant, a leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and an artist. The complaint is about a news report on an alleged land-occupation dispute involving Pant’s family.
The August arrest
This is not the first time. Shrestha was arrested on August 12–13, 2026, after a complaint alleging a violation of personal privacy. The dispute was about an online report and a photograph involving RSP lawmaker Amarkant Chaudhary and a woman. Police also searched the publication’s office and seized electronic equipment.
On August 17, the Supreme Court ordered his release. It said the investigation could go on without keeping him in custody, and it ordered the seized devices returned. The court stressed constitutional press freedom and found too little ground for continued detention. That was a ruling about custody. It did not decide whether the allegations were true or whether Shrestha was guilty. A separate complaint from Deputy Speaker Ruby Thakur reportedly led police to seek an arrest warrant under the Electronic Transactions Act. The court declined to grant it on August 18.
The audio controversy
Jana Aastha has also been at the centre of a newer dispute. The weekly published audio recordings allegedly involving Khagendra Sunar, an RSP lawmaker from Banke Constituency No. 3. The recordings reportedly contain abusive language and threats aimed at a woman. They come with allegations of blackmail and suspicious financial transactions. None of this has been established as fact.
Sunar has denied that the voice is his. He says the audio was made using artificial intelligence or other technology.
Here is where things stand:
October 13-14: The RSP started an internal inquiry and barred Sunar from his duties as lawmaker and central committee member while it runs.
Police: They said they had received no formal complaint from the alleged victim and were making preliminary inquiries. A formal criminal investigation had not begun.
October 16: Jana Aastha reportedly gave the original, unmuted audio and related documents to the RSP disciplinary commission. The government said it would pursue an investigation if the law requires it.
Why this matters
Shrestha’s case raises a plain question about when a journalist’s work should be answered with an arrest. Courts have already said custody was not justified in August. Complaints against journalists can still be investigated, and a complaint is not a verdict on the report that prompted it. Any facts about the land dispute itself have not been verified either.
