‘How can we decide’: Delhi HC on plea for ₹100 cr for death in Nepal protest

The high court gave the petitioner an opportunity to rework the prayer, pointing that it would not be able to proceed in its present form

The Delhi high court on Monday weighed whether it has the authority to adjudicate a ₹100 crore compensation claim filed by an Indian national in connection with the death of a tourist caught in the violent youth-led protests that rocked Nepal last year.

People outside a charred hotel after it was vandalised during the anti-government protests in Kathmandu in September 2025 (PTI FILE/Representative Image)

“How can we decide all this? In Nepal, something happens, and the hotel asks you to do something. How can we decide? If some fire arose somewhere, how can the protection be granted?” a bench of justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said, advising the petitioner to amend the petition.

“You modify your prayer. In the present form, I do not think we will be able to proceed with your writ petition. Just examine. Let this matter be called after two weeks,” the court said. The case has been tentatively scheduled for February 26.

The petition was filed by Rambir Singh Gola, whose wife, Rajesh Gola, 57, lost her life while trapped inside the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu during the violent anti-corruption protests that eventually forced KP Sharma Oli to resign as prime minister.

The couple travelled to Nepal on September 7, 2025, to visit Pashupatinath Temple. As the violence in Kathmandu intensified, Gola claimed that the hotel assured guests of their safety and discouraged them from checking out, instead advising them to move to higher floors.

On September 9, a mob allegedly set the hotel on fire which led to his wife’s death.

Gola approached the court seeking ₹25 crore from the Centre and ₹75 crore from the Hyatt Hotel as compensation. He also sought the constitution of a high-level judicial commission to investigate the incident, and alleged that the Indian government’s negligence led to his wife’s death.

He contended that the “complete inaction of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and the Ministry of External Affairs during the violent mob attack and fire, despite repeated distress calls,” amounted to a breach of the State’s constitutional duty to protect its citizens.