Supreme Court to Hear Appeal Against Bail for Officials in Pokhara Land Corruption Case

The Supreme Court is set to hear the corruption case involving Ramchandra Adhikari, former chief of the Kaski Land Revenue Office, and Tulsiram Budhamagar, defendants in the Pokhara Litchibari land corruption case.

A single bench of Justice Shrikanta Poudel will hear the appeal filed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) against the decision of the Special Court to release the defendants on bail. The CIAA has appealed to the Supreme Court demanding that both individuals be held in custody during the trial.

The CIAA had filed a case against former Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajkumar Gupta, former Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation Ranjita Shrestha, and others at the Special Court on 2082 Ashoj 22. Ramchandra Adhikari and Tulsiram Budha Magar, among the main defendants in that case, were ordered by the Special Court on Bhadra 7 and 14, respectively, to be released on a bail of NPR 5 lakh each.

The CIAA has claimed a total of NPR 5.3 million from Ramchandra Adhikari and NPR 7.8 million from Tulsiram Budha Magar, demanding imprisonment and fines according to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059.

In the application registered at the Supreme Court, the CIAA has demanded that the trial proceed with the defendants in custody, as per Clause 7(e) of the Special Court Act, 2059.

The appeal, filed under Section 73 of the Muluki Criminal Procedure Code, 2074, and Section 15 of the Justice Administration Act, 2073, states that the bail amount set by the Special Court is extremely low compared to the claimed misappropriated funds, thereby striking at the core principle of justice.