On July 14, 2025, Niti Foundation convened a policy discussion in Kathmandu under its Niti Policy Circle platform, focused on the draft Nepal Police Bill 2082, currently under parliamentary review. The session brought together lawmakers, former high-ranking police officials, legal experts, and human rights advocates to examine the bill’s alignment with Nepal’s constitutional provisions and its implications for national security, police governance, and democratic policing.
Key discussions centered on the chain of command between the Nepal Police and Chief District Officers (CDOSs), concerns around civilian oversight, and the need for a federal police act that reflects the principles of functional autonomy and accountability. Speakers emphasized that operational command should rest with the police—not district administrators—while the Ministry of Home Affairs retains supervisory authority. Human rights experts even mentioned that this is a “historical opportunity” to introduce a rights-based, democratic, and autonomous police system.
Lawmakers raised pressing questions regarding border security, overlapping mandates with the Armed Police Force, technology gaps and the lack of mental health provisions in the draft bill. Former police leaders stressed the urgency of restructuring and ensuring professionalism within the force. The event concluded with broad agreement on the need for clarity in roles, a rights-based policing model, and reforms that are structural.
