Jan 16, Kathmandu- The Supreme Court has ordered Bechan Jha, who is in pretrial detention in the fake Bhutanese refugee case, to present the reasons for his detention.

Hearing the habeas corpus petition filed by Jha on Wednesday, a bench of Justice Nityanand Panda issued the show cause order.

Jha is accused of coordinating between the high-ranking political leadership and the Ministry of Home Affairs in the fake Bhutanese refugee case. Arrested on Asadha 15, Jha was ordered to be remanded in custody by the Kathmandu District Court on Bhadra 2.

Jha has approached the Supreme Court with a petition for habeas corpus, claiming that the order is illegal.

Jha has been charged with organized crime, crimes against the state, fraud, and forgery.

He claims to have been the middleman who arranged for the then Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand and Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey to meet with the fraud gang.