By Our Reporter
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police has again made news headlines by arresting a few individuals involved in the infamous Lalita Niwas land scam case.
After the CIB arrested Bhat Bhateni Supermarket owner Min Bahadur Gurung, former Election Commissioner Sudhir Kumar Shah and five former employees of the land revenue office of Dilli Bazaar in dramatic style on June 27, people are now eagerly waiting to see whether the CIB will arrest high profile culprits like CPN-UML vice chairman Bishnu Paudel, who had purchased a plot of land.
The CIB arrested five others linked to the case on Sunday and Monday, but none of the arrestees were high-profile politicians. Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Bijay Gachchhadar are also accused of being involved in the case. Gachchhadar faced a case earlier, and his post as a lawmaker in the House of Representatives remained suspended, but the Deuba-led government withdrew his case.
The other arrestees include the head of the Dilli Bazaar Land Revenue Office Kaladhar Deuja, and subordinate employees of the same office, Surendraman Kapali, Dharma Prasad Gautam, Hupendra Mani KC and Gopal Karki. Likewise, those arrested on Sunday include Baburaja Maharjan, surveyor Ghaman Kumar Karki and Shivaji Bhattarai, ward secretary of Kathamndu-4. Maharajan was a fake landowner. Similarly, Ramesh Kumar Pokharel and Dev Narayan Maharjan were arrested on Monday.
However, of the seven arrested on June 27, three have been released, citing a stay order. They included Deuja, KC and Kapali.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had issued an interim order to investigate the three without arresting them. It is said that many of the employees of the land revenue office have received such orders to weaken the investigation. It is also rumoured that some of the justices have also been involved in the case, which may weaken the case.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court had issued a show cause order to the government. The order demands the presentation of grounds and reasons justifying the arrest of three individuals involved in the case.
Judge Dr. Kumar Chudal’s bench has specifically directed the Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Headquarters, and the Central Investigation Bureau of Police to submit a detailed explanation regarding the basis for the arrests. The show cause order seeks to address concerns raised by Dharma Prasad Gautam, Sudhir Kumar Shah, and Min Bahadur Gurung, who claim to have been unlawfully detained.
Meanwhile, the Kathmandu District Court has given permission to investigate into those accused in the case of Lalita Niwas land scam also as an organised crime.
The District Court, Kathmandu on Tuesday allowed the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police to investigate the case as an organised crime in addition to those involved in the scam.
Last week, the Bureau got permission from the court to investigate those involved in the scam with the violation of the National Code, 1963.
With the latest court permission, ways have been paved against the accused to be investigated for the case under organised crime and forgery of official documents.
The investigation should be completed within 25 days in the case of forgery. However, in organised crime, a 60-day time period is available to investigate and file the case.
The case related to grabbing 36 ropnais of 330 ropanis of the land of Lalita Niwas, the VVIP residence area including the official residence of the Prime Minister, Speaker and Chief Justice.
The case had remained in the freezer for the past two years as only a couple of people including Deep Basnyat, former chief commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and Krishna Prasad Poudel, former staff of Dilli Bazaar Land Revenue Office were sent to judicial custody.
The CIAA had filed cases against 175 people at the Special Court, including three former ministers, of whom almost all were released on bail.
Now with the reopening of the case, the public is carefully watching how the politicians will act when many powerful people are linked to it.
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