Kathmandu : Rajiv Gurung, known by his alias Deepak Manange, a member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly and former provincial minister, has been found guilty of attempted murder by the Supreme Court of Nepal.

He was convicted for his role in plotting the murder of gangster Milan Gurung aka Chakre Milan.

The Supreme Court bench of Justices Nahkul Subedi and Tek Prasad Dhungana upheld a previous ruling from the Patan High Court, which sentenced Rajiv Gurung to five years in prison.

The apex court says that Rajiv Gurung was the instigator of the incident in Bagbazar in 2004, where he and others attacked rival gangster Milan Gurung with a machete. Initially, the Kathmandu District Court did not classify the incident as an attempted murder, after which Rajiv only a two-year prison sentence.

However, in 2006, the Patan High Court overturned this decision, sentencing him to five years for attempted murder. Following this, he was listed as a fugitive.

Despite his legal issues, Rajiv Gurung was elected to the Gandaki Provincial Assembly in 2017. He reported to the Patan High Court in 2018 and was sent to Dillibazar Jail. However, he appealed the decision and was released within eight months due to legal provisions that allowed for his release under certain conditions.

After his release, he took his oath as a Provincial Assembly member and continued his political career, being elected twice and serving as a minister six times.