Nepal’s Supreme Court has ordered the police to arrest within a week a ruling Maoist party leader convicted in a murder case during the decade-long insurgency.

The court ordered the inspector general of Nepal Police to arrest Bal Krishna Dhungel of CPN (Maoist Centre) and put him behind bars within a week.

A single bench of justice Ananda Mohan Bhattarai issued the order in response to a contempt of court case filed by advocate Dinesh Tripathi on Wednesday.

The apex court on Thursday asked the police chief to deploy all its resources and arrest Mr. Dhungel and present him before the court through the Department of Prison Management within 7 days.

The former Maoist lawmaker was found guilty of killing Ujjan Kumar Shrestha of Okhaldhunga in 1998.

The Okhaldhunga District Court in 2004 had convicted Mr. Dhungel of murder and ordered life term for him. But in 2006, the Rajbiraj Appellate Court gave him the clean chit.

He was elected lawmaker in the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections.

The apex court in 2010 overturned Rajbiraj Appellate Court’s decision and upheld Okhaldhunga District Court’s verdict.

The Baburam Bhattarai-led government in November 2011 had recommended presidential clemency for Mr. Dhungel, but it was rejected by the court.

Despite the SC order, Mr. Dhungel has not been arrested.

The Maoist party has maintained that the Ujjan Kumar murder case is a “political” one and that it should be dealt with by a transitional justice body.