KATHMANDU, Feb 16: The Special Court has convicted former government employees, middlemen and land buyers in the infamous Lalita Niwas land-grab case that saw the involvement of high-profile politicians as well. A joint bench of Judges Khushi Prasad Tharu, Ram Bahadur Thapa and Ritendra Thapa, however, acquitted the politicians.

Besides ordering the confiscation of the land illegally acquired in the corruption case involving 175 people, the court sentenced each of them to a maximum of two years imprisonment and fines of up to Rs 8 million.

Deep Basnyat, a former secretary and former head of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, along with former secretary, the then employees of the Land Revenue Office, and middlemen are among those convicted of corruption in the land-grab scam. According to a proposal submitted by the then Secretary at the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning, Deep Basnyat, the then Prime Minister and the line minister concerned had taken the decision to transfer the ownership of the public land to private individuals in 2066 BS.

The then secretary of the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management, Chhabi Raj Pant, with the approval of the line minister Dumbar Shrestha, had decided to submit a proposal to the Dillibazar Land Revenue Office in connection with the implementation of the decision of the Council of Ministers.

The court has explained that the decision of the cabinet is recorded and that the decision maker cannot be exempted from the offense. Former secretaries Chhabi Raj Pant, Deep Basnyat, Prem Bahadur Khapung, Arjun Khatiwada, Shankar Prasad Subedi, Angur Sigdel, Kedar Prasad Shrestha, Harikrishna Timalsina, Parashuram Pokharel, Krishna Prasad Poudel, Prakash Bhatt, Tanka Poudel will each be imprisoned for two years and fined Rs 80 lakh 48 thousand each. 

The court acquitted the political leaders, including former deputy prime minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, who was an accused in the case. Due to the lack of evidence, Gachchhadar, the then ministers for land reforms and law, Dumbar Shrestha and Chandradev Joshi, and the then Secretary Dinesh Hari Adhikari were acquitted, according to the court verdict.

Meen Bahadur Gurung, the owner of Bhatbhateni Supermarket chain, and Ramkumar Subedi and Shobhakant Dhakal, who worked as middlemen in the land-grab scam, were sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of Rs 8,048,000 each.

Srikrishna Maharjan, Dwarikaman Maharjan, Gwarabhai Maharjan, Machanani Maharjan, Baburaja Maharjan, Rena Gurung, Teerthamaya Maharjan (wife of Ashanarayan Maharjan), Teerthamaya Maharjan (wife of Nati Maharjan), Devnarayan Maharjan (Son of Nati Maharjan), Devnarayan Maharjan (grandson of driver Bhaicha son of Ashakaji Maharjan), Kanchha Maharjan, Harsh Maharjan, who are the main defendant, have been sentenced to imprisonment for two years. In their case, the court has ruled that they will be fined according to the charges and the wrongdoing.

The court has ruled that there are 72 accomplices in the land case. The court held that 57 people, including the land tenants, Bill Bahadur Maharjan, and 15 people, including Indra Bahadur Thapa, who either bought the land plots or got them as gifts, were the accomplices in the crime. It has been decided that the accomplices, too, will be sentenced to two years of imprisonment equal to the punishment given to the main defendants and fine as mentioned in the charge sheet.

 
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