The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has applied with the Supreme Court (SC) for vacation of stay orders obtained by 17 accused in Baluwatar land grab case against their arrest.
SSP Dinesh Acharya has told Setopati that the CIB has decided to apply for vacation of the stay order after learning that 17 persons accused in the case had obtained stay order around a year ago.
A single bench of Justice Ishwore Prasad Khatiwada on August 4, 2022 had issued the stay order against the arrest of 17 persons accused in the case.
Promoter of Bhatbhateni Supermarket Min Bahadur Gurung, former election commissioner Sudheer Kumar Shah and former government employee at Dilli Bazaar Land Revenue Office Dharma Prasad Gautam, meanwhile, filed habeas corpus petition on June 29 pointing that they have been arrested in a case where statute of limitations has already been passed.
The government had formed a probe committee under former secretary Sharada Prasad Trital following complaints that government land at Baluwatar has been transferred to some individuals. The committee had submitted the report to the government in December 2018 concluding that the land transferred to individuals belonged to the government.
The committee stated that the then king Mahendra after the coup in 1951 had confiscated 14 ropanis land of Nepali Congress leader Suvarna Shumsher Rana and his son Kanchan Shumsher in Baluwatar.
The government four years later acquired 285 ropanis of Rana's land in Baluwatar by paying compensation. The prime minister's residence, chief justice's residence, speaker's residence and the central office of Nepal Rastra Bank are currently situated in 172 ropanis out of the 285 ropanis.
Land mafia in connivance with staffers at the Land Revenue Office has transferred ownership of the remaining 113 ropanis of land to different individuals, the committee has concluded.
CPN-UML leader and former finance minister Bishnu Paudel was also dragged into the controversy as eight annas out of the 113 ropanis has been transferred in the name of his son Navin.
But Paudel and Supreme Court (SC) Justice Kumar Regmi have not been charged in the scam after they agreed to return the land in the name of Paudel's son Navin and Regmi respectively.
"It does not seem necessary to make them defendants as they have agreed to return the land plots inside Lalita Niwas camp to the Nepal Government in their statement to the investigation officer and the application filed with the CIAA," the CIAA charge sheet stated.
Regmi has claimed that he received the land for handling a case while working as advocate while Paudel has claimed that he bought the land.
