KATHMANDU, Aug 24: Chief of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Lokman Singh Karki, has submitted a written statement at the Supreme Court claiming that he has not done anything that would amount to contempt of court.
The apex court on July 11 had ordered CIAA chief Karki to furnish a written reply why he should not be held in contempt of court.
The court had issued the notice in response to a case filed by Shanta Dixit, the wife of journalist Kanak Mani Dixit, claiming that the anti-graft body did not comply with the court's previous order directing it to carry out investigations or summon an individual only after coming up with concrete evidence and following the due process.
In his written statement, the CIAA chief has claimed that the CIAA's action against Dixit was as per the law and not motivated by his personal bias.
He has also claimed that Dixit has been trying to extricate himself from the CIAA scanner by filing one court case after another.
Karki has argued that the contempt of court case has been filed against him with mala fide intention as Dixit was freed from the CIAA custody right after the apex court order to release him.
Karki has also pleaded the court to scrap the petition related to contempt of court against him.
Although the division bench of then chief justice Kalyan Shrestha and Justice Om Prakash Mishra in January had reminded the anti-graft body that no action should be taken against anyone without citing jurisdiction and purpose as per the existing laws, the CIAA on April 22 arrested Dixit apparently without meeting the legal requirements.
The letter issued by the CIAA for summoning Dixit had not cited any legal provisions or mentioned the purpose of the summons.
Karki submits clarification in person over contempt of court ca...
_20191222200001.jpg)
