Police in Nepal have arrested a former speaker of the country’s parliament, Krishna Bahadur Mahara following a district court permission to take him into custody to investigate the attempt-to-rape charges levelled against him.

 Mahara was arrested and taken to Metropolitan Police Circle, Singhadurbar after the Kathmandu District Court granted permission to the Nepal Police to arrest him based on a suit which was lodged against him.

The Police said the unnamed victim, who is a staffer at the Parliament Secretariat had lodged the complaint against Mahara on Friday, citing an attempt to rape her and other acts of violence.

On Monday, spokesperson at the Metropolitan Police Range, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hobindra Bogati told reporters that police were carrying out the investigation and necessary actions would be taken.

Mahara, who stepped down as the Speaker on October 1 after reports surfaced that he had visited the woman’s apartment in Tinkune and violently forced himself on her in a drunken state has however not resigned as a member of Parliament.