Nepal, Nov. 3 -- Supreme Court (SC) Justice Hari Prasad Phuyal has gone on leave amid controversy surrounding his WhatsApp conversations with Inam Sapkota, who is currently in police custody in connection with a money laundering investigation.

According to the Secretariat of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma, Justice Phuyal will remain on leave from Tuesday until November 6 ahead of the Tihar holidays.

The controversy surfaced after WhatsApp conversations between Justice Phuyal and Sapkota became public. Following the disclosure, Phuyal acknowledged that he had personally met Inam at Hotel Himalaya. He also claimed that other Supreme Court justices had met him.

The controversy has drawn the attention of the SC's full court meeting, whi...