Kathmandu: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chairman of the CPN (Unified Socialist) and former Prime Minister.
On Thursday, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a corruption case against leader Nepal at the Special Court regarding the Patanjali land exchange case, automatically suspending his parliamentary membership.
Earlier, on Chaitra 30, 2081 (April 12, 2025), the Nepali edition of margadarsannews.com had reported that the CIAA was investigating irregularities concerning Patanjali Yogpeeth’s land, had taken a statement from former Prime Minister Nepal, and was preparing charges for filing a case.
Patanjali Yogpeeth had initially acquired land with a land ceiling exemption for herbal farming and the construction of an Ayurvedic hospital. The CIAA began its investigation after it was discovered that this land, obtained through a Cabinet decision for exemption, was later sold following another Cabinet decision.
When Nepal was Prime Minister, his Cabinet, in Magh 2066 (January/February 2010), permitted Patanjali Yogpeeth and Ayurvedic Company, established by Yoga Guru Ramdev, to purchase 815 ropani of land, exceeding the land ceiling limits.
Immediately after this approval, the Ayurvedic company bought 593 ropani of land in the Sanga, Nasikasthan, and Mahendra Jyoti areas, which are now part of Banepa Municipality. The Cabinet had granted the land ceiling exemption on the condition that the land would be used for an Ayurvedic university, research center, yoga hall, Ayurvedic medicine industry, herbal farming, and a cow farm.
Surprisingly, less than 75 days after the land purchase, the Nepal-led government, on Chaitra 6 and 26, 2066 (March 20 and April 8, 2010), granted permission for the sale of this very land that had received the land ceiling exemption.
It was subsequently revealed that Patanjali sold 354 ropani out of the 593 ropani it had acquired, after receiving Cabinet approval. Patanjali then used the proceeds from selling this land to Kaasthmandap Business Homes Pvt. Ltd. to purchase 88 ropani of land in Dhulikhel.
During the period when the purchase and sale of the land with ceiling exemption were approved, Dambar Shrestha served as the Land Reform Minister, Madhav Ghimire as the Chief Secretary, and Chhabiraj Pant as the Ministry Secretary.
Earlier, acting on the CIAA’s instructions, the Department of Land Management and Archives had formed an investigation committee. This committee was led by Lok Bahadur Bhandari, the Chief Land Revenue Officer of Bhaktapur.
The committee concluded that the purchase and sale of land exceeding the ceiling limit, based on Cabinet approval, were in violation of the Land Act 2021.