KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has taken legal action against the former chief of the Land Revenue Office in Tikapur, Mohan Snehi Rasaili, and non-gazetted first-class officer Agni Bahadur Shahi, alleging their involvement in corruption. The case, filed in the Special Court, accuses them of misusing their positions and embezzling a staggering Rs 246.97 million.

The focus of the accusation revolves around the illegal plotting and registration of 15 bighas of land originally designated as forest in field book number 908 under the jurisdiction of the former Narayanpur Village Development Committee ward number 8. This forest land was unlawfully transferred into the names of individuals through the Tikapur Land Revenue Office in 2068 BS.

The CIAA initiated an investigation following a complaint regarding the improper handling of public land designated as forest. During the inquiry, it was discovered that Rasaili, the former chief of the Tikapur Land Revenue Office, and Shahi, a non-gazetted first-class officer, were involved in the illicit plotting and registration of land designated as forest in 2021 BS, recorded in field book number 139 of Ward No-8 of the former Narayanpur village.

Their actions are deemed as an abuse of authority for personal gain, leading to the transfer of state-owned public forest land to private individuals, including Bindra Rawal, Kamal Bahadur Rawal, Sushil Bahadur Rawal, and Bimal Bahadur Rawal.

Moreover, the CIAA has highlighted that all pertinent documents related to the registration and records of the land were deliberately destroyed from the office archives. The charge-sheet filed in the Special Court in Kathmandu demands appropriate fines and imprisonment in accordance with the law. Additionally, it advocates for the restoration of the land, previously registered as forest, to its original state.