The Special Court has found CPN (Maoist Center) leader Rewati Raj Puri, also known as Gagan Puri, guilty in a scam involving the transfer of public land in Damak, Jhapa, to individuals.
On Wednesday, a bench comprising Special Court Chairman Tek Narayan Kunwar and members Murari Babu Shrestha and Riten Thapa convicted Puri of corruption in two separate cases and sentenced him to imprisonment and fines.
Nine individuals were found guilty in one case, while 10 were convicted in the other.
A complaint had been lodged regarding the registration of public lands, identified as plots 760/1, 761, 762, 773, 783, 784, 786, 787, and 788 in the then ward 6 of Damak, as per a 1964 survey, in the names of various individuals.
Following an investigation, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed two cases, naming Puri and 171 others as defendants in one instance and 186 others in another.
"Two separate cases were filed in this matter. Some defendants were named in both cases," said Yagya Raj Regmi, information officer of the Special Court. "Both cases were decided together today."
The Special Court found Puri guilty in both cases.
In one case, Puri was sentenced to one year in prison and fined Rs 2.08 million, proportional to the damage. In the other, he was sentenced to one year in prison with a fine of Rs 3.15 million.
Employees of the Survey Office were also ruled guilty.
The Special Court sentenced Sitaram Yadav to one year in prison and fined him Rs 1.87 million.
Bindeshwar Panjiyar was sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of Rs 1.8 million, Ramdev Mandal Dhanuk to six months in prison and a fine of Rs 265,554, and Lalit Kumar Mandal to three months in prison and a fine of Rs 58,725.
Rudra Prasad Shrestha was sentenced to six months in prison and a fine of Rs 316,771, Ram Kumar Das to three months in prison and a fine of Rs 102,979, Ganesh Kumar Dhimal to one year in prison and a fine of Rs 983,812, and Bishnudev Yadav to three months in prison and a fine of Rs 18,344.
In the other case, Sitaram was sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of Rs 2.5 million, Bindeshwar to one year in prison and a fine of Rs 3.11 million, Jagdish Prasad Yadav to three months in prison and a fine of Rs 30,994, Ganesh Kumar to six months in prison and a fine of Rs 632,326, Ramdev Dhanuk to three months in prison and a fine of Rs 25,155, Binod Kumar to six months in prison and a fine of Rs 478,313, Min Bahadur Pradhan to three months in prison and a fine of Rs 18,289, and Bishnu Kumar Neupane to three months in prison and a fine of Rs 2,089.
The court also convicted the then chief survey officer Shashikant Jha, but noted in the verdict that no action was necessary as he had already passed away.
The court has ruled to confiscate the privatized lands involved in the case.
