KATHMANDU, Jan 1: Former Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajkumar Gupta has been remanded to judicial custody in the Lichibari bribery case in Pokhara, while former Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Minister Ranjita Shrestha has yet to appear before the court.
A bench of the Special Court comprising judges Sudarshan Dev Bhatta, Dilliratna Shrestha, and Bidur Koirala on Wednesday ordered Gupta to be sent to jail for trial proceedings. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a corruption case against Gupta and Shrestha on October 8, accusing them of involvement in bribery linked to land dealings at the Lichibari in Pokhara.
While Gupta has been placed in pre-trial detention, Shrestha has not appeared before the Special Court so far. Besides the two former ministers, the CIAA has named five others as defendants, including broker Sujan Lama (Tamang).
The CIAA has sought to recover Rs 7.8 million from Gupta as damages. Different amounts have been claimed from the other defendants based on their alleged roles in the case.
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According to the charge sheet, former ministers, government officials, and brokers colluded in a plan to illegally seize around 134 ropanis of government land known as the Lichibari orchard, located in Pokhara-16, Batulechaur. Citing available evidence, the Special Court ordered Gupta to be held in pre-trial detention under Rule 30(1) of the Special Court Regulation, 2080 BS.
The investigation was initiated after an audio recording surfaced revealing alleged bribery negotiations between Gupta and broker Lama. Following the controversy, Gupta resigned from his ministerial post on July 15.
Initially, an audio clip involving a Rs 3.2 million bribe deal came to light. However, the CIAA has demanded Rs 7.8 million from Gupta and sought a prison sentence of six to eight years for bribery, along with an additional three years for abuse of authority. Similar punishment and compensation have been sought against former minister Shrestha.
In the same case, the CIAA has demanded Rs 5.3 million and a jail term of six to eight years from Ramchandra Adhikari, the then chief land revenue officer of Kaski. Broker Sujan Lama faces a claim of Rs 7.8 million and a similar prison sentence. Yam Kumari Gurung and Tulsiram Budha have also been charged with equivalent penalties.
The CIAA has additionally named UML Gandaki Province Assembly member Khem Bahadur Pun as a defendant. He is accused of being offered a Rs 2.5 million bribe to secure appointment as Chairperson of the Kaski District Land Commission. The CIAA has sought Rs 2.5 million in damages and a prison sentence of two to four years against him.
According to investigators, the broker group had linked the land commission appointment deal with the Lichibari land case. Audio recordings released on January 12, 2025, revealed negotiations involving Rs 5.3 million to halt the transfer of the Kaski Land Revenue Office chief and Rs 2.5 million for the land commission appointment.
The disputed land—plots numbered 25, 26, and 28 at Deep Birta (Lichibari Orchard) in Pokhara-16—was to be transferred to Suraj Shah Thakuri, an heir of Durga Devi Shah, following a court verdict. Although an application was filed at the Kaski Land Revenue Office, the process was allegedly delayed deliberately.
Following the delay, Thakuri approached broker Sujan Lama, who allegedly devised the scheme in collusion with Yam Kumari Gurung and Tulsiram Budha. The plan involved taking 40 percent of the land registered in the heirs’ names as commission. A written agreement signed on June 2, 2024, has been described by the CIAA as malicious and unlawful.
