King Birendra, educated in England and the United States, succeeded his father in 1972 when the political climate was believed to be gradually improving. Koirala, however, was arrested immediately upon his return from exile in 1976 and charged with the capital offence of attempting armed revolution. Finally, in March 1978, he was cleared of all treason and sedition charges. Then, in 1981, he was cleared to travel to the United States for medical treatment. The Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa convinced the king to allow Koirala to proceed to the US for treatment as per recommendation from the royal physician Dr. M. R. Pandey. The government of Nepal bore a portion of the cost of his medical treatment in the US, while the rest was arranged by his nephew Shail Updhaya, Dr. Shukdev Shah, family and friends.