A day after his arrest, social media on Tuesday saw an outpouring of support for Dr Govinda KC and a wave of criticism against the decision of the Supreme Court to charge the fasting doctor.

Leaders from the CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Nepali Congress opposed the court’s move of detaining Dr KC on Monday evening, condemning the action as “tyrannical”.

“Dr Govinda KC, over the last decade or so, has come to become the conscience of common people of Nepal who are getting increasingly sick of corruption and bad governance,” former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai tweeted.

“The supreme court should read just not the words but also the spirit in which Dr. KC is criticizing its judgement. I believe, based on my several interactions with him over last several years, that Dr. KC wants the judiciary and other constitutional bodies to be stronger and fairer and not otherwise,” he wrote on the micro blogging site.

Former speaker Onasari Gharti tweeted: “I said and did while in office, and say and make efforts today too, Dr KC’s demands are genuine; this has to be resolved in a right process.”

Maoist leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha and UML leaders Pradeep Gyawali and Ram Kumari Jhakri also opposed the court’s move.

Shrestha wrote: “Overnight arrest of Dr KC is an atrocity in the name of law. I repeat, the court is not God. The judiciary was spared while restructuring the state. This is an outcome of that. All concerned should understand it.”

Gyawali termed the court’s act as unfair. “There can be arguments over Dr KC’s demands and his style of protest. The way the court presented itself can never be deemed correct,” he tweeted.

Jhakri on Tuesday shared the written statement of Dr KC to the court, commenting that “Dr KC made a powerful statement in writing”.

While condemning Dr KC’s arrest, Nepali Congress leader Gagan Thapa said that Nepal’s system does not permit anyone to take action against nonviolent agitation.

Another Congress leader, Dhanaraj Gurung tweeted, “I have never heard anyone being arrested at night for contempt of court. My question to the court is: How does Dr KC’s statement attract contempt of court? People want to know the reason behind the overnight arrest without the government’s knowledge.” (PR)