A writ petition demanding prosecution against former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai in the Lalita Niwas land grab case is set to be presented before the full bench of the Supreme Court.
A bench of Supreme Court Justices Til Prasad Shrestha and Nityananda Pandey on Thursday ordered the petition to be presented before the full bench.
The petition demanded that former chief secretary Lilamani Paudyal also be prosecuted along with former prime ministers Nepal and Bhattarai.
Senior Advocate Bal Krishna Neupane had filed the writ petition at the Supreme Court on February 12, 2020. The petition alleged that those involved in making decisions on the Lalita Niwas were let off and demanded that they also be prosecuted.
On August 6, 2023, the Supreme Court ordered an investigation into those involved in decision-making as well.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police then recorded statements of both Nepal and Bhattarai.
The court ordered an investigation into the decisions made during the Cabinet meetings on April 11, 2010; May 14, 2010; August 13, 2010; and October 4, 2012, as well as into those involved in those decisions.
Nepal was the prime minister in 2010, and Bhattarai in 2012.
They are accused of playing a role in transferring the government land of Lalita Niwas at Baluwatar to individuals.
In 2010, the Cabinet headed by Nepal decided to expand the prime minister's residence in Baluwatar. It was decided to exchange land registered in the names of individuals during the expansion. The government land at Baluwatar was then transferred to individuals by creating fake tenants.
The Bhattarai-led government of 2012 was also accused of transferring government land at Baluwatar to individuals through fake tenants.
Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar was the minister for planning and construction in the Nepal-led government, while Chandra Dev Joshi was the minister for land reforms in the Bhattarai Cabinet.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed cases against both ministers. But it exempted prime ministers Nepal and Bhattarai, saying it did not have powers to prosecute former government heads for policy decisions.
