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The Lalitpur Metropolitan City has declared a local holiday tomorrow, Wednesday, on the occasion of the 'Coconut Dropping' day under the Rato Machhindranath Rath Jatra.

All the offices of the Metropolitan City and its subordinate offices will remain closed as the residents of the metropolis will participate in the Jatra on the day, said Mayor Chiribabu Maharjan.

The work of pulling the chariot with Rato Machhindranath seated on chariot at Pulchowk in Lalitpur began on April 21. 

After the chariot is taken to Lagankhel via Gabahal, Mangalbazar, and Sundhara, the Bali Puja is performed and the coconut is dropped from the top of the chariot the next day.

The 'Coconut Dropping' tradition, which takes place in the Lagankhel area as part of the Rath Jatra, is linked to religious beliefs and cultural significance. 

The Metropolitan City has stated that the holiday has been declared in respect of tradition as there will be significant participation of the city residents on this day.

Traffic Police have taken action against 2,746 people  in the last 24 hours.

As of this morning, during checks conducted by traffic police at various locations in the Kathmandu Valley, 79 drivers were penalized for driving under the influence of alcohol, 225 for  violating ride sharing rules, 175 for running red lights, 148 for speeding, 324 for lane crossing, 149 for driving on footpaths, 55 for no-horn violations, 54 for U-turns and overloading, and 1,537 for other offences, totalling 2,746 drivers, said Traffic Police spokesperson and Superintendent of Police Naresh Raj Subedi.

"In the past twenty-four hours, 2,746 vehicle drivers were penalised for violating traffic rules in the Kathmandu Valley. A total revenue of Rs 2. 96 million has been collected from these penalties," he added.

Driving under the influence of intoxicants is illegal and punishable, and the Traffic Police have urged passengers to immediately report it to the nearest police station, the traffic control room hotline number 103, or the police hotline number 100, if they suspect that the driver has taken intoxicants or drugs.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has forecast rain with thunderstorms and lightning in most parts of the country today.

The Division stated that based on updated weather information from various stations, rainfall is expected from the Tarai to the hilly and mountainous regions.

According to the weather bulletin, there is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall during the day in cities of the Tarai region including Bhairahawa, Simara, Janakpur, and Biratnagar, and the rain is expected to continue at night as well.

The Division stated that the maximum temperature in these areas is expected to be around 30 to 36 degrees Celsius.

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning throughout today in the Kathmandu Valley as well.

The maximum temperature in the Valley is expected to be between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius, while the night temperature will drop to between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius.

The effects of rain will also be seen in Dhankuta, Jiri, Taplejung and Okhaldhunga of the eastern hilly region. In these areas, there is a likelihood of moderate rainfall especially in the evening and night.

Similarly, light rain with thunderstorms is forecasted in Pokhara, Jomsom, and Jumla areas.

In the western region, Dhangadhi, Nepalgunj and Birendranagar may experience light rain during the day, but it will likely be partially cloudy during night. 

The likelihood of rain in these areas appears relatively low.

Meteorologist Saroj Pudasaini said that due to the influence of the local wind and the Westerly wind system across the country, cloudy and rainy conditions have developed. 

The Division has urged the public to take precaution as there is a risk of thunderstorms and lightning.

The Supreme Court has issued an order to produce businessman Shekhar Golchha in the court within 24 hours.

The apex court ordered the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police to produce Golchha, who is in police custody, before the court within 24 hours.

A team of the Nepal Police Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) detained Golchaa, a resident of Nagarjun Municipality-8, from Naxal, Kathmandu on Thursday. 

Golchha's wife, Sima Golchha, filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court on Monday, alleging that her husband is being detained illegally.

Hearing the writ petition, a single bench of Justice Nripadhwaj Niraula issued an order to submit a written response through the Attorney General's Office within 24 hours.

Senior advocate Ramesh Prasad Dhital and advocates Pankaj Kumar Karna and Suryaraj Dahal argued on behalf of Golchha.