KATHMANDU, Oct. 7: The Kathmandu District Court has barred the sale and transfer of ownership of a helicopter owned by Mustang Helicopter Pvt Ltd, a company associated with mountaineer Nirmal Purja, popularly known as “Nims Dai,” over his failure to pay compensation to the owners of a house destroyed in an explosion in a separate case.
Lawyers representing house owners Tanka Ghising and Dalmu Kittar Ghising told Republica that the court ordered the helicopter to be kept under restraint after a separate company owned by Purja failed to pay the compensation awarded by the court for the destruction of the couple’s house in Kapan, Kathmandu.
The Ghising couple has been awarded Rs 114 million in compensation, according to the lawyers. The Kathmandu District Court issued its verdict in the case around two years ago, and the High Court Patan subsequently upheld the decision. The couple is now pursuing enforcement of the verdict, while the company has challenged the district and high court rulings at the Supreme Court.
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A letter sent by the Office of the Company Registrar to the Kathmandu District Court on September 29 informed the court that the helicopter’s ownership had been restricted. The company’s shareholding records maintained at the Company Registrar’s Office show that shares in the company are held in the name of Nims Dai Ltd., London.
The helicopter has reportedly been put up for sale following Purja’s death. Purja died on August 1 after being caught in an avalanche while attempting to climb Broad Peak in Pakistan.
The Ghising couple’s two-and-a-half-storey reinforced concrete house at Ram Mandir, Lasuntar, in Kapan was completely destroyed in an explosion on September 21, 2022. The house is located on one ropani of land in Budhanilkantha Municipality Ward No 11.
The house had been rented by Elite Himalayan Adventures Pvt Ltd, a company associated with Purja, for use as an office. According to the case details, the explosion was caused by the unauthorized storage of oxygen and LPG gas cylinders at the premises.
Other directors of Elite Himalayan Adventures, including Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, also known as Mingma David Sherpa, and Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, are defendants in the case. Mingma Gyabu Sherpa is also a proportional representation member of the House of Representatives from the Rastriya Swatantra Party representing Taplejung.
The house owners had approached various government agencies, including the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Budhanilkantha Municipality, seeking compensation. The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers had recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs conduct the necessary investigation and facilitate appropriate compensation.
The house owners said the tenant company had made both verbal and written commitments to compensate them for the damage, but failed to pay the amount. The couple has been involved in the legal battle for around five years.
