Nepal on Tuesday issued a 10-year ban on an Indian couple, after their claim that they successfully scaled Mount Everest — and the photos they shared showing them at the summit — were debunked by an investigation.
The Nepal Tourism Board also revoked the certificates bestowed on Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod for the climb they claim to have completed on May 23 this year, the Kathmandu Post reported.
The duo, both police constables from the western Indian city of Pune, made headlines as the first Indian couple to ascend the world’s tallest mountain together. However, several other mountaineers alleged that the photographs they shared of themselves at the top were doctored, and another Indian climber from Bangalore named Satyarup Sidhanta said the original images were his.
The head of the adventure company that organized the Rathods’ trip, meanwhile, insisted that their achievement was genuine and that there was “some politics going on” that prompted the ban.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness
Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com