The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Tuesday filed a corruption case at the Special Court against former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, former minister Minendra Rijal and dozens of other defendants, alleging that land held beyond the legal ceiling of Rijal Canning Company (Rijal Tashi Industries) in Itahari, Sunsari was sold through a cabinet decision and under the cover of a land exchange. The filing, which brings a former head of government and a senior opposition leader into the same corruption docket, names between 94 and 97 defendants according to different reports, with the claimed amount put at roughly Rs 730 million to Rs 760 million.

What the case is about

At the centre of the case is Rijal Canning Company, also referred to in reports as Rijal Tashi Industries, an industrial concern based in Itahari in Sunsari district. According to the CIAA's allegations, land belonging to the company that exceeded the prescribed ceiling was sold off, and that the transaction was carried out on the strength of a cabinet decision while being presented as a land exchange. The anti-graft body has treated the arrangement as corrupt, arguing that the land was disposed of beyond the limit allowed under Nepal's land ceiling provisions through an improper official route.

Nepali law restricts how much land an individual or an institution can hold, and transactions involving holdings above that ceiling are meant to face strict legal scrutiny. The allegation in this case is that rather than such scrutiny taking place, the excess land was sold through a decision of the cabinet and by describing the transaction as an exchange of land, a framing that the CIAA says did not reflect the reality of what occurred. The claimed amount, reported at between Rs 730 million and Rs 760 million, corresponds to the value the commission attaches to the land in question.

Who is named, and the disputed figures

The two best-known names on the defendant list are Madhav Kumar Nepal, who has previously served as Prime Minister, and Minendra Rijal, a former minister who is described in reports as a leader of the Nepali Congress. Both are senior, nationally recognised political figures, and their inclusion is what has drawn the widest attention to the filing.

Early reporting on the case shows some variation in the key numbers:

  • Number of defendants: One report puts the total at 94, while another puts it at 97, meaning dozens of people stand accused alongside the two political leaders.
  • Claimed amount: The figure cited ranges from around Rs 730 million to around Rs 760 million.
  • Central allegation: The sale of land beyond the ceiling of Rijal Canning Company (Rijal Tashi Industries) in Itahari, Sunsari, allegedly executed through a cabinet decision in the name of a land exchange.

The identities of the remaining defendants, believed to include officials and others connected to the transaction, have not been individually detailed in the initial reports. As per Ratopati, the case against the Congress leader Rijal reached the Special Court alongside that of Madhav Nepal, while Khabarhub likewise reported the filing of the case at the Special Court on Tuesday.

The road ahead at the Special Court

The Special Court, based in Kathmandu, is the designated venue for corruption cases filed by the CIAA, which serves as Nepal's constitutional anti-corruption watchdog. With the case now registered, the court is expected to schedule hearings, and with a defendant list running to nearly a hundred names, the proceedings are likely to be extensive. The defendants will have the opportunity to respond to the allegations as the case moves through the court, and the final determination of guilt or innocence rests with the bench.

It is worth underlining that the filing of the case represents the commission's position rather than a judicial verdict. The figures cited in early coverage, including the exact count of defendants and the precise amount claimed, may be clarified as the court record is completed and the proceedings begin in earnest.

A politically charged filing

The case is significant not only for the sums involved but for the stature of those named. A former Prime Minister and a former minister from a major political party now stand accused in the same corruption case, alongside dozens of co-defendants, and the allegation reaches into the highest levels of government decision-making, since the sale is said to have been enabled through a cabinet decision. That combination is certain to keep the case in the public eye as it proceeds.

For the CIAA, the filing represents one of its more high-profile actions in recent times, targeting a transaction that allegedly used official machinery to move land beyond the ceiling into private sale. For the defendants, the immediate task will be to face the charges at the Special Court, where the dispute over the Itahari land will now be argued in full.

Further details, including the complete list of defendants and the final claimed amount, are expected to become clearer as the case is formally processed by the court.