Supreme Court Schedules Hearing on Former Minister Rajkumar Gupta's Custody Plea in Lichhibari Corruption Case

Kathmandu. A hearing date has been set for the petition filed by former Minister Rajkumar Gupta, who is currently in custody during the preliminary investigation of the Lichhibari corruption case. The hearing is scheduled before a joint bench of Supreme Court Justices Sharanga Subedi and Nityananda Pandey.

Gupta had filed the petition seeking to overturn the order issued by the Special Court to detain him during the preliminary investigation into the Lichhibari land case. The order to send him into custody pending investigation was issued by the bench of Special Court Chairman Sudarshan Dev Bhatta and Judges Dilliratna Shrestha and Bidur Koirala in the Pokhara Lichhibari corruption case.

The corruption case was filed in the Special Court based on evidence suggesting that then-Minister Gupta took a bribe of 5.3 million rupees from a real estate businessman, promising to halt the transfer of the Chief Officer of the Land Revenue Office in Kaski and to appoint him as a member of the Land Commission.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had accused Minister Gupta and former Minister Ranjita Shrestha of taking a bribe of 2.5 million rupees through mutual collusion to misuse their positions and provide official favors.

Gupta had claimed in his statement to the court that the allegations against him were false and that he had not taken a bribe from anyone. However, the court determined, based on the evidence immediately available, that he could not be considered innocent.