Landowners of Lalita Nivas complex return land to avoid lawsuits
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB) has started returning land to the government after starting the investigation on the land owners of the Lalita Nivas complex in Baluwatar.
One of the landowners, Sipika Khaitan, has already registered the land in the name of the government at Dillibazar Malpot Office. After returning the land, she informed the CIB and demanded her release. The CIB has started discussions with the district attorney’s office about presenting the land returnee as a witness in the court.
Khaitan currently owns eight annas of land in the Lalita Nivas complex. She bought the land from businessman Meen Bahadur Gurung. For the purpose of confiscating the land, the Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission had also filed a case against him in a special court.
CIB Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Acharya says that investigations are also being conducted on the landowners in the case and some have started applying for the return of the land. “There are two types of land owners who are involved with the land mafia gang and who buy them later,” he says, “Accordingly, we are investigating. Some of them have started applying for the return of the land.”
In the case of those who bought the land later, like the authority, the police is also likely to prosecute the case only for the purpose of confiscating the land.
Earlier, Supreme Court Judge Kumar Regmi and UML leader Vishnu Paudel’s son Naveen had taken a “controversial decision” not to prosecute the case based on the fact that the authority had returned the land.
The CIB has also started discussions on not making the government a defendant in the case of returning the land. However, a senior officer of CIB says that discussions have been started on providing such facilities to those who are not involved in farming and only purchase land.
CIB has also detained Keshav Tuladhar along with Khaitan for arresting 22 people in this case. Tuladhar, who is also an accused in the case related to fake Bhutanese refugees, was arrested by the bureau on June 31. He was also arrested by the bureau on the basis of purchasing eight annas of land.
Other land owners are also under CIB investigation. It has been seen that some businessmen have bought land at a low price in collaboration with land mafia groups. There is a possibility that they will be prosecuted.
CIB’s preliminary conclusion is that middlemen Shobhakant Dhakal and Ramkumar Subedi influenced government employees and political leadership and took 143 ropani government land in the name of individuals. Businessman Meen Bahadur Gurung made a financial investment in it.
At first, Suvarna Shamsher was taken in the name of Jabaraka’s family and sold to various people. Later, more land was stolen in the name of fake Guthi, fake Mohi and the extension of the residence of a specific person. Most of that land has gone to other people in the name of Subedi, Dhakal and Gurung.
Currently, the land is owned by 65 people including organizations and companies. Sources say that many land owners are not in touch with CIB.
Those who got the interim order escaped
Those who got the interim order from the Supreme Court in the case have absconded last week after the Supreme Court decided the case related to the habeas corpus. Last year, the Supreme Court gave an interim order not to arrest 17 accused. Only one of them is in prison. Others have fled.
Kaladhar Deuja, who took the interim order, was already arrested last Friday. According to CIB sources, 16 others are absconding.
A month of investigation, ‘pressure’ on the CIB to solve the case quickly
On June 12, seven people were arrested at the same time and the CIB started the investigation. Three of them were released based on the old interim order. In the case of habeas corpus, the Supreme Court ordered the investigation of this case to be completed quickly.
However, according to the sources, the CIB has taken the investigation to the final stage by quickly submitting the case after looking at the court order and the health condition of the arrested accused. CIB has come to the conclusion that many of the arrested accused are elderly and seriously ill.
However, out of more than 300 accused, only 22 have been arrested. The CIB has concluded that the government has also been deceived by doing this.
Therefore, there is a possibility of avoiding it under political leadership.
