The Supreme Court has issued a short-term interim order in a case related to donation of land by businessman and Bhatbhateni Supermarket owner Min Bahadur Gurung to CPN-UML for building the party’s central office.
A single bench of Judge Sunil Kumar Pokharel on Monday issued an interim order to not carry out any work including transfer of ownership of the land donated to UML by Gurung until another decision.
The court has summoned both sides for discussion on November 11 to decide whether to continue the interim order or not.
Advocate Gyan Bahadur Basnet had approached the apex court with a writ petition demanding revocation of UML’s decision to accept donation of the land from businessman Gurung, who is accused of corruption and forging government documents.
The Supreme Court administration initially refused to register the petition. On October 18, Basnet filed a petition against the court administration’s decision.
A bench of Judge Til Prasad Shrestha then revoked the court administration’s decision and ordered it to register Basnet’s petition.
Advocate Basnet has made Gurung and the UML party office defendants in the petition. He has said in the petition that the party's decision to accept donation of the land from a businessmen accused of corruption and of converting government land into private property was against ethics and the spirit of the law.
He has also demanded a mandamus to make donations made and received in the name of politics and political parties transparent.
On October 11, Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone for the party's central office building at Maitrinagar in Kirtipur Municipality-2.
The UML central office is being built on 10 ropanis and 14 annas of land donated to UML by businessman Gurung and his wife Sabitri Gurung.
