Kathmandu: The Supreme Court has paved the way for businessman Ajaya Raj Sumargi to recover around Rs 2.25 billion that the Nepal Ras­tra Bank had frozen earlier. A sin­gle bench of justice Tej Bahadur KC issued an interim order on Tuesday in the name of the bank to desist from implementing its earlier deci­sion to withhold the amount. “The legal reasons put forth by the bank to withhold the fund were not transpar­ent, and hence this order is issued to allow the petitioner to withdraw the money,” reads the order.

The court has also summoned both plaintiffs and defendants on February 14. Sumargi and Subas Chandra Poudel had filed a writ at the Supreme Court last Sunday on behalf of the Nepal Satellite Telecom Company, arguing that the bank’s decision to withhold the funds had damaged the company and had asked for immediate release of the funds. RSS