Nepal Home Minister Sudan Gurung Resigns Amid Allegations, Cites Ethics and Need for Impartial Probe

KalimNews with inputs from PTI, April 22, 2026, Kathmandu :  Nepal’s Home Minister Sudan Gurung on Wednesday tendered his resignation—just over three weeks after taking oath—following allegations related to his financial conduct while in office.

Gurung, who was appointed Home Minister on March 27, had drawn widespread attention after he ordered the jailing of former Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak within 24 hours of assuming office.

His resignation comes amid growing criticism over alleged business links and share transactions with a controversial businessman. In a post on social media, Gurung said he was stepping down to ensure an impartial investigation into allegations against him and to avoid any conflict of interest.

“For me, ethics is greater than position, and there is no greater force than public trust. The ongoing Gen Z movement in the country, which is demanding good governance, transparency and accountability, has also conveyed this message—that public life must be clean and leadership must be accountable,” he wrote.

He further added, “If anyone questions the government formed on the blood and sacrifice of my 46 brothers and sisters, the answer to that is ethics.”

Sudan Gurung was appointed as Nepal’s Home Minister on 27 March 2026 and resigned on 22 April 2026 remaining in office for 27 days.

Within his first week in office, the Home Ministry launched a major crackdown. During that initial phase, around 8 high-profile individuals were arrested, including former Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, along with several politicians and business figures. These arrests were part of broader enforcement actions carried out by the police and security agencies under the Home Ministry, not personal arrests made directly by the minister.

According to the Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s secretariat, Gurung has submitted his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, who has now taken charge of the Home Ministry portfolio himself.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah will assume charge of the Ministry of Home Affairs until a new appointment is made. The decision comes as part of the government’s broader 100-point reform agenda announced after Shah took office. Earlier this month, Shah dismissed the Labour Minister after the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) alleged that Dipak Kumar Sah had misused “the dignity of his position” by facilitating the appointment of his wife as a member of the Board of Directors of the country’s Health Insurance Board.

Nepal currently ranks 109th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, reflecting ongoing concerns over governance and institutional integrity.

Gurung was a prominent figure during the September 2025 Gen Z movement, where he was seen actively engaging with protesters, including distributing bottled water at major protest sites such as Maitighar Mandala and Naya Baneshwor. He also played a key role in facilitating a political understanding between then Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah—now Prime Minister—and Rabi Lamichhane, leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

His resignation comes amid a series of political developments within the Shah-led government. Earlier on April 9, Prime Minister Shah removed Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Dip Kumar Sah following a recommendation from the RSP, after allegations of misuse of authority in connection with the re-appointment of his wife to a public post after her tenure had ended. The Prime Minister had subsequently taken charge of the Labour Ministry.

The current RSP-led government rose to power following widespread public discontent against traditional political forces in the aftermath of the September 2025 Gen Z protests, which led to the collapse of the K. P. Sharma Oli-led coalition. The protests, driven by anti-corruption demands and opposition to social media restrictions, left at least 76 people dead and caused damage estimated at Nepalese Rupees 84.45 billion, according to a government assessment committee report released in December.

Gurung’s abrupt exit is being viewed as a significant political development in Nepal’s transitional political landscape, where demands for transparency, accountability, and institutional reform continue to shape governance.