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Agence France-Presse

Nepal’s home minister stepped down on Wednesday over growing criticism of his finances after less than a month in office he won on an anti-corruption platform.
Sudan Gurung, a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal’s previous government, said he was stepping down to ensure a “fair investigation”.
“I have resigned from the position of Home Minister with effect from today,” the 38-year-old posted on his social media accounts.
“For me, morality is greater than a position and there is no greater power than public trust … Public life should be clean, leadership should be accountable,” added Gurung, who took office on March 27.
Dipa Dahal, press adviser to Prime Minister Balendra Shah, confirmed reception of Gurung’s resignation.
Shah will take charge of the home ministry until a new appointment is made, Dahal added.


Gurung took part in the deadly protests that began as a protest against a brief social media ban, but were fed by wider grievances over corruption and a poor economy.
At least 76 people were killed and more than 2,500 wounded during the two days of violence in September.
In January, Gurung joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party and won a seat in parliament after the party swept to a landslide victory in the March elections.
Gurung made headlines a day after taking his oath of office for arresting former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak for their alleged involvement in the deadly crackdown on protesters in September.
But soon he himself was beset by allegations over his financial investments and assets, as well as links with a businessman being investigated for money laundering.
Public pressure had been mounting on the government to investigate Gurung and ensure accountability.
The opposition Nepali Congress said it would not be possible to carry out an impartial probe if Gurung remained in his position.
“It is natural that there will be doubt over direct or indirect influence over the investigation process,” it said in a statement on Monday, calling for an “independent and impartial” probe.

On Monday, Gurung had dismissed the allegations as “rumours”.
“I would just like to say that accusations and truth are not the same thing. Decisions should be based on evidence, not emotion,” he said on social media.
Gurung is the second minister to resign in the new government after the labour minister was dismissed over code of conduct issues.
Earlier this month, the government formed a five-member commission led by a former Supreme Court judge to investigate the assets of politicians and officials.
The commission was a part of the government’s 100-point reform agenda issued after Shah took office to tackle corruption in the Himalayan nation.
Nepal currently ranks 109th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.


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Nepal

Sudan Gurung, a Gen Z movement protest leader who became Home Minister, drives a car after the oath-taking ceremony outside the presidential office in Kathmandu, Nepal on March 27, 2026. Photo: EPA

Sudan Gurung (middle) meets with family members of a victim who died during anti-corruption clashes with security personnel, outside the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu on September 13, 2025. Photo: AFP

Nepal’s probe into deadly uprising finds ex-prime minister, officials ‘reckless’

People burn tyres during a demonstration in Kathmandu on September 9 to condemn the Nepali police’s deadly crackdown on protesters. Photo: AFP

A picture of former Nepali prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli lies on the floor in a building that houses the Prime Minister’s office after the deadly anti-corruption protests last year. Photo: Reuters

Photos of people who died in last year’s Gen-Z uprising in Nepal displayed in front of the parliament gate in Kathmandu. Photo: EPA

Balendra Shah (centre), prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, receives his election victory certificate on March 8 in Jhapa, Nepal. Photo: AP

Nepal’s school fee crackdown upends South Asian private education norms

School students watch news about Balendra Shah, Nepal’s new prime minister, on a mobile phone in Kathmandu last month. Photo: EPA

Students leave school to walk home in Punarbas, Nepal’s Kanchanpur district. The country’s crackdown on private school fees has sparked a debate on education costs. Photo: Reuters

Balendra Shah is sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister during a ceremony in Kathmandu last month. Photo: Xinhua

Students attend a menstrual awareness workshop at a school in Tatopani village, central Nepal. Photo: Handout

Children crouch under their desks during an earthquake drill at a school in Nepal in 2019. In a bid to tackle profiteering in private education, the government has introduced mandatory transparent pricing. Photo: EPA-EFE

Nepal to apologise to ‘untouchable’ Dalits for first time

A Dalit woman sits with a child in Humla district, in Nepal’s remote northwest. Photo: AFP

Balendra Shah is sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister during a ceremony in Kathmandu on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

Dalit activists chant slogans during a protest in Kathmandu in 2015 demanding equal rights in Nepal’s constitution. Photo: AFP

A Dalit family at their home in Simikot, Nepal. Nearly 42 per cent of Dalits in the country live below the poverty line. Photo: AFP

Nepal’s trekking trade looks east as Iran war disrupts Western tourist flow

With conflict disrupting flights through the Middle East, Nepal’s tourism sector is counting on Asian trekkers to help soften the blow. Photo: Shutterstock

A tourist spins the prayer wheels while circumnavigating the Swayambhunath Stupa, a Unesco World Heritage site in Kathmandu. Photo: Getty Images

Trekkers watch the sun rise over the Annapurna Range in central Nepal. Photo: AP 

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Home Minister Sudan Gurung was a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal’s previous government


Home Minister Sudan Gurung was a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal’s previous government.


Nepal minister quits amid financial scrutiny after just weeks in office

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Home Minister Sudan Gurung was a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal’s previous government

Home Minister Sudan Gurung was a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal’s previous government