From BHU to Kathmandu, Nepal's interim PM Sushila Karki's deep India connect

Nepal’s first woman Prime Minister (of an interim government), Sushila Karki, earned her MA in political science from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1975, where she also met her husband, Durga Prasad Subedi. Subedi was among three men who carried out Nepal’s first hijacking in 1973, commandeering a Royal Nepal Airlines de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter that had Bollywood star Mala Sinha among its passengers.

Speaking about Karki, now 73, Prof Dipak Malik, a retired BHU professor and former director of Gandhian Institute of Studies, told TOI: “We have had a cordial relationship with her since her days in BHU... We are happy Nepal is going to get a neutral and honest person to lead the country.” Malik, who last met her in November 2024, said she is known for her strong reputation for integrity, zero tolerance of corruption, and political neutrality, with landmark rulings against corrupt officials earning her respect.

Karki met her husband Subedi, then a Nepali Congress youth leader, during her BHU years. Subedi, along with Nagendra Dhungel and Basanta Bhattarai, hijacked the plane on June 10, 1973, as part of the anti-Panchayat protests against King Mahendra. The plan, supported by future prime ministers Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala, was to fund rebellion against the monarchy. According to reports, the hijackers forced the pilot to land in Forbesganj, Bihar, before fleeing into the jungle with cash being flown to Kathmandu from a Nepalese bank.


Subedi went into hiding in Varanasi but was arrested during the Emergency in 1975. He spent two years in jail before being handed over to Nepalese authorities. The other hijackers too were convicted and jailed, but later released after the Emergency ended.

In a recent interview with CNN-News18, Karki described herself as a “friend of India”, crediting her bond with the country to her time at BHU. “My years at BHU left a lasting impression,” she said, recalling her teachers and friends. She also praised India’s support for Nepal and added she has “a good impression of Modi-ji.”

Born on June 7, 1952, in Biratnagar, Karki completed her BA at Mahendra Morang Campus in 1972, her MA at BHU in 1975, and a law degree from Tribhuvan University in 1978. She began her legal career in 1979, became a senior advocate in 2007, a Supreme Court judge in 2010, and later served as acting chief justice (April 13–July 10, 2016) before becoming Nepal’s chief justice until June 7, 2017.

With inputs from TOI