KATHMANDU, Dec 5: A fresh push has begun to appoint a new Director General at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) after incumbent DG Pradeep Adhikari was charged in a corruption case this week. According to sources at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, preparations are underway to appoint a junior officer, bypassing several senior officials in the line of promotion.
Adhikari was arrested by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday and a corruption case was filed at the Special Court the same day.
CAAN’s senior-most officer at the 12th level is currently Pratap Babu Tiwari, who stands first in the official seniority order. He is followed by Premnath Thakur, Devchandra Karna, Hansaraj Pandey, and then Jaganath Niraula. However, ministry sources claim that efforts are being made to sideline senior officers by citing various allegations and instead promote a junior-ranking staff member.
High-profile corruption cases pending at Supreme Court for two...
A ministry official alleged that despite the government’s declared policy—based on the seniority principle upheld during the tenure of former Chief Justice Sushila Karki—there is an attempt to justify excluding senior officials by referring to past CIAA inquiries or complaints.
The official said that although Tiwari remained the senior candidate even during Adhikari’s controversial appointment, he is again being sidelined under the pretext of CIAA complaints, while junior officer Jaganath Niraula, who also has CIAA complaints against him, is being floated as a possible candidate.
Meanwhile, DG Adhikari’s statement is being recorded before the Special Court’s bench comprising Judges Narayan Prasad Poudel, Hemant Rawal, and Bidur Koirala. The CIAA on Wednesday filed a corruption case against Adhikari and six others in connection with alleged irregularities at the Nalinchok helipad in Bhaktapur.
The defendants include Director Murari Bhandari, Deputy Manager (Engineer) Samriddhi Shrestha, Manager Nawal Bikram Thapa, Abhiyantra Consulting Pvt Ltd, its chief Bijay Thapa, and private engineer Gurudutt Adhikari.
The Special Court said the CIAA has sought recovery of Rs 135.7 million from each defendant, along with imprisonment and fines. The court will decide whether Adhikari will be kept in judicial custody or released on bail after the hearing.
