Kathmandu: The Special Court has issued an order to release former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on a bail amount of Rs 3.5 million. Information Officer at the Special Court, Yagya Raj Regmi, informed that the court issued the order following the hearing on whether or not to remand him in jail for further investigation in connection with the graft case against him related to the Patanjali Yogpeeth land misappropriation scam.
According to National News Agency Nepal, a divisional bench comprising Justices Tej Narayan Singh, Ram Bahadur Thapa, and Bidur Koirala issued the order. Former PM Nepal’s statement was recorded since Wednesday afternoon after he was physically present at the special court. Following this, lawyers from both sides engaged in a detention debate. Five lawyers from Nepal’s side and an equal number of government lawyers presented their arguments and counter-arguments.
The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a case at the Special Court against 93 persons, including ex-PM Nepal, concerning the Patanjali Yogpeeth land ceiling scam. In the charge sheet, the former PM is demanded to pay a fine of Rs 185.85 million. The charge sheet accuses him of committing irregularity by taking a decision to exempt ceiling in the purchase of the Patanjali Yogpeeth land during his premiership in the past.