Nirmal Timilsina, a Nayab Subba posted at the Land Revenue Office (Malpot) in Malangwa, Sarlahi, was taken under control along with Rs 100,000 in bribe money on Wednesday morning, according to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). A team from the CIAA office based in Bardibas detained the official at around 9 to 10 am while he was working in the administration section of the office. The anti-corruption body said Timilsina had demanded the money for work related to mohi (tenant) records, and that the arrest was made in the course of an investigation it had been conducting into the bribery allegation. The case was reported by Nagarik News and Rajdhani Daily.

Timilsina is a resident of Lalbandi, in Sarlahi district, according to information provided by the CIAA.

Detained on duty at the Malangwa land revenue office

The operation was carried out inside the Land Revenue Office in Malangwa, the headquarters of Sarlahi district in Madhesh Province. The CIAA team deployed from Bardibas reached the office during regular working hours and took the Nayab Subba under control between 9 and 10 in the morning, with the Rs 100,000 described as bribe money with him at the time of the arrest.

Land revenue offices, known locally as Malpot offices, function under the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation and serve as the primary point of contact between citizens and the state on matters of land. Service seekers approach these offices to register the purchase and sale of land, transfer ownership, obtain land ownership certificates, pay land revenue, and have records such as tenant entries updated. Because nearly every transaction involving land must pass through the Malpot office of the concerned area, the officials posted there hold direct authority over services that citizens cannot obtain elsewhere.

The commission has confirmed that Timilsina was performing his duties in the administration section of the Malpot office when he was detained. The key facts of the case, as stated by the CIAA, are:

  • The accused is Nirmal Timilsina, a Nayab Subba at the Land Revenue Office in Malangwa, Sarlahi.
  • The action took place on Wednesday morning, at around 9 to 10 am.
  • Rs 100,000 in bribe money was with him at the time of the arrest.
  • The bribe had been demanded for work related to mohi (tenant) records.
  • The arrest was carried out by a team from the CIAA office in Bardibas during an ongoing investigation.

Bribe demand linked to mohi (tenant) records

According to the CIAA, the bribe had been demanded for work related to mohi (tenant) records. These records concern tenants who cultivate land belonging to others and are among the most consequential documents handled by land revenue offices in the Tarai, including in Sarlahi. Entries in such records can determine tenancy rights and affect dealings connected to the land concerned, which means citizens seeking updates or clarifications depend directly on the officials who process those files.

Why these records are sensitive

The mohi system in Nepal traces back to the land reform measures introduced in the 1960s, when tenant farmers who tilled land owned by others were recorded in official documents maintained by land revenue offices. Being recognized as a tenant on a particular plot carries legal weight in matters of tenancy rights and in transactions related to that land. In the Tarai belt, questions related to tenant records have remained a persistent source of disputes and administrative work, requiring land revenue offices to verify, update and certify such records on the request of the parties involved.

Because work on tenant files involves verification and approval by office staff, the CIAA has said that the Nayab Subba demanded Rs 100,000 from a service seeker in connection with these records. The commission has not disclosed the identity of the person involved or further details of the transaction, stating only that the arrest was made while it was investigating the bribery allegation.

CIAA operation and what follows

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority is the apex constitutional body of Nepal tasked with investigating and probing corruption and the abuse of authority by holders of public office. Through its offices across the country, including the one at Bardibas, the commission carries out enforcement operations against officials alleged to have demanded or accepted bribes, gathers evidence, and files cases at the Special Court where the investigation supports prosecution. Under Nepal's anti-corruption framework, both the giving and the taking of bribes are punishable offenses, and officials caught with bribe money during CIAA operations are investigated before any legal action is initiated.

Nayab Subba is a non-gazetted first-class rank in Nepal's civil service, a level at which officials are frequently posted to positions involving direct service delivery. Officers of this rank in land revenue offices handle applications, records and approvals on a daily basis, placing them in a position to influence how quickly and smoothly citizens receive government services. Wednesday's operation in Malangwa was carried out against this backdrop, with the commission stating that the action formed part of its investigation into the allegation.

The CIAA office in Bardibas is carrying the investigation forward following the arrest. Further details of the case, including any decision on prosecuting Timilsina, are expected to become clear once the commission completes its investigation into the bribery allegation.