KATHMANDU, Nov 2: More than a dozen government appointments and decisions have been left in limbo after controversial names surfaced in key postings. The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) has withheld appointment letters, effectively freezing Cabinet decisions that officials say appeared to favor intermediaries. Several term-extension decisions involving disputed figures have also been stopped.
Before leaving office, outgoing Chief Secretary Eaknarayan Aryal had already blocked three decisions — most notably the move to grant nearly Rs 1 billion in tax exemptions to Dolma Impact Fund. His intervention is expected to bring over Rs 880 million immediately into the state treasury, with officials projecting an additional Rs 5 billion in future revenue. The previous government had avoided taking such a risk, and the current government’s decision to grant the exemption had drawn strong criticism.
The appointment of engineer Deepak Shrestha as member-secretary of the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) has also been frozen. Shrestha, an engineer at the Nepal Water Supply Corporation, became a contentious choice after past allegations resurfaced. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), which had previously investigated him, raised concerns over his appointment.
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During the tenure of former Chief Commissioner Ganesh Raj Joshi, Shrestha had been brought to the CIAA on complaints of mistreating engineers, prompting his removal from the office. When the government appointed him member-secretary of the LDT, the CIAA objected again. Later, under Chief Commissioner Prem Kumar Rai, Shrestha was immediately removed from handling cases involving engineers from the Department of Roads, the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, and other sectors after it surfaced that he was directly dealing with their files.
Another appointment on hold is that of Manoj Bhatta, chosen by the November 18 Cabinet meeting to lead the Social Welfare Council (SWC). Chief Secretary Aryal did not authenticate the decision, stalling its implementation. After government spokesperson and Communication Minister Jagdish Kharel confirmed Shrestha’s appointment in the LDT, the issue triggered intense debate within government agencies. The appointment had also been made with the consent of Lharkyal Lama.
In Lumbini, locals had long demanded that the member-secretary be selected through open competition. Once the appointment was announced, discussions extended beyond the government level to constitutional bodies as well. The new Chief Secretary, Suman Aryal, who took office on November 26, has not advanced the file either.
Bhatta continues to face several allegations tied to his earlier tenure at the SWC— ranging from corruption and irregularities to controversy over NGO/INGO regulation. Citing the risk of assigning sensitive responsibilities to a controversial figure, former Chief Secretary Aryal had consulted Prime Minister Sushila Karki before halting the appointment. Republica has already reported on the disorder within the SWC.
As a former office-holder, Bhatta has long been accused of misusing authority in NGO/INGO affairs, irregularities in project registration, collecting consultancy fees, taking benefits from both sides, and bypassing the working committee. The “Anti-Corruption Civil Society” submitted complaints and review petitions to the Prime Minister and relevant ministries, calling his reappointment “an attack on ongoing reforms in NGO/INGO regulation.”
Facing growing criticism, the government has opted not to implement the decisions for now, a source at the PM’s Office said. The appointment of members to the Pashupati Area Development Trust has also been put on hold. Further delays have emerged after the ordinance related to the Constitutional Council — forwarded to President Ram Chandra Paudel — was withheld.
Among the two ordinances sent by the government, the one concerning the Constitutional Council remains pending. On November 26, the government forwarded amendments to the Special Services Act, 1985, along with the ordinance on the Constitutional Council. The amendment to the Special Services Act has been stopped.
Meanwhile, the decision to add three DIG positions in the Armed Police Force has also been paused following objections. The controversy arose after the posts were allocated to the law group. The Armed Police Force’s legal division has only 14 sanctioned positions, and creating an additional DIG post specifically for that small division triggered criticism.
