A longstanding family dispute between the brothers Padma Jyoti and Roop Jyoti, belonging to the Jyoti Group—one of Nepal's oldest business houses—has resurfaced over property rights and financial obligations.
Despite the partition deed over four decades ago, the brothers continue to remain at odds over ownership of some assets.
The recent dispute centres around Grande City Hospital at Jyoti Bhawan in Kantipath, Kathmandu, which is led by younger brother Roop.
However, Padma owns the section of the hospital building spread over an area of 5,225.68 square feet on the first floor and 6,934 square feet on the second floor. The area houses IPD, ICU, HCU, NICU, operation theatre, and ENT services.
On Sunday, October 27, Padma publicly accused Roop of unlawfully occupying part of his property. Padma alleges Roop of ignoring, multiple times, the requests to vacate the premises he owns. In addition, the elder Jyoti claims that the younger brother has failed to pay rent for the use of the property under his ownership.
Padma’s faction also sought judicial intervention in the past to resolve the dispute.
In a statement, Padma’s faction has said that various bodies—including the Judicial Committee of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Kathmandu District Court, Patan High Court, and the Supreme Court—have issued rulings in their favour.
However, they have claimed to have been unfairly portrayed on social media platforms while attempting to follow the courts’ orders.
In response, Roop Jyoti acknowledged his elder brother’s legal claim to the disputed property to NBA. The younger brother, however, argued, “Since the Jyoti family owns the hospital, it should not be a matter of concern for certain sections of the hospital to be in the area owned by Padma.”
“There are sensitive equipment in the area which take time to relocate,” Roop added. “Else, the services had to be stopped."
Roop further claimed that Padma holds a share in the hospital, so it makes no sense to ask his own hospital to vacate.
Describing the dispute as an act of revenge, Roop refuted the allegations regarding non-payment, stating that Rs 13.6 million has been deposited into his elder brother's account from the hospital’s finances.
“This amount is enough to cover expenses for 9 or 10 more years,” Roop told NBA, claiming to have met the financial obligations, with monthly payment of Rs 180,000 as per the agreement.
Last Wednesday, October 23, on behalf of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the concerned city police had gone to the hospital and asked to vacate the disputed property.
Roop’s faction, however, has argued that moving a hospital was not like moving a shop, requesting additional time to comply with the order.
