A judge of Kalikot District Court, Shyam Sundar Adhikari, has been accused of accepting a bribe of Rs500,000. The incident came to light after a complaint was filed against Adhikari in the judicial council on Friday, stating that he took the bribe from a local fruit seller to influence a case while he served as a judge at the Saptari District Court. Adhikari was transferred to Kalikot District Court on July 18, 2018.

In relation to the accusation, the police have arrested Sagar Kumar Sah, who reportedly worked as Adhikari’s middleman. According to sources, Adhikari used to take money through Sah. “Sah used to meet with Adhikari on a daily basis while he was in Saptari Court.” Sah is currently held in the Area Police Office in Lahan.

Adhikari accepted that he took money from Sah; however, he said he took it for different reasons. “We are acquaintances. I took the money from him because it was my money, and he was just returning it,” he said.