Nepal, Nov. 6 -- Can a government remove a serving Inspector General of Police (IGP) before the end of his legally prescribed tenure simply by transferring him to another position? And can such a move leave two officials effectively holding the rank and authority of police chief within the same organization?

These are among the key legal questions raised by former IGP Dan Bahadur Karki in a writ petition filed at the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday, challenging the government's decision to remove him from police leadership and transfer him to the position of security adviser to the prime minister.

Karki has argued that the Cabinet's decision has created an unusual situation in which two officials hold positions at the level of IGP-one a...