SC warns CIAA against delay in Govinda Raj Joshi case

Published On: June 7, 2019 06:30 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, June 7: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a warning to some officials of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) over allegations of obstruction of justice regarding the corruption case against Nepali Congress (NC) leader Govinda Raj Joshi.

A division bench of Justices Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada and Sapana Pradhan Malla issued the warning to CIAA officials to face the consequences as they had been dillydallying over an apex court order to submit the original files and various other documents concerning the Joshi case.

The division bench also ordered the CIAA officials to submit an explanation within 15 days why the anti-graft body had failed to submit the original documents. The apex court issued the warning to CIAA Secretary Maheshwor Neupane and other staff. The order to submit the documents was issued some five years ago.

It may be noted that other corruption cases from around the same time, including those involving J P Gupta, Chiranjibi Wagle and Khum Bahadur Khadka, have already been resolved. They have even completed their jail terms as per the court verdicts.

Joshi, a former home minister, has been facing the graft case since the last 16 years.

Noting that not obeying its order was a serious matter as it constituted obstruction of the judicial process, the apex court has sought an explanation from the CIAA officials why action should not be taken against them.

The order to submit the original decision of the CIAA and other details was issued on November 15, 2014 and there have been five follow-ups since.

"It is a serious matter that the CIAA has not submitted the register and other documents despite five follow-up orders, and it has delayed the process of justice delivery, causing unnecessary hassles for the party to the case as well," states the order issued by the division bench.

The anti-graft body had filed its corruption case against Joshi, his son Dinesh Joshi and brother-in-law Tararaj Pandey on charges of accumulating unexplained wealth and misusing the powers of the Special Court.