KATHMANDU, May 7: Supreme Court has ordered the government release former Chief Commissioner of Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Deep Basnyat on bail. 

A division bench of Justices Ishwar Khatiwada and Ananda Mohan Bhattarai on Friday ordered the government to release Basnyat on Rs 500,000 bail. Basnyat had filed a habeas corpus writ petition at the apex court on April 30.

The CIAA had earlier filed a graft case against Basnyat at the Special Court after his involvement was seen in the Lalilta Niwas land scam in which the government-owned prime land was transferred in the names of various individuals. He is one among 175 people indicted by the anti-graft body for embezzlement while transfering the land originally belonging to Lalita Niwas-- a state-owned property--into individuals' name. 

The Special Court on December 14, 2020 had ordered government authorities to keep Basnyat in judicial custody until the final verdict is passed on the case. In his habeus corpus petition Basnyat claimed that the decision of the Special Court to send him to judicial custody was not justified as he was a 69-year-old heart patient currently suffering from COVID-19 as well. Basnyat argued that he should be released from judicial custody on a humanitarian ground.

 
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