Corruption Case Filed against Two Former Ministers in Pokhara Litchi Orchard Land Scam

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday filed a corruption case against seven individuals, including two former ministers, in connection with the Pokhara litchi orchard land scam in Pokhara.

The CIAA filed the case against former Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Raj Kumar Gupta and former Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Ranjita Shrestha, along with five others. The other defendants include former Chief Land Revenue Officer at the Kaski Land Revenue Office Ram Chandra Adhikari, real estate agent Sujan Kumar Tamang (also known as Sujan Lama), Khem Bahadur Pun (alias Khem Pun), Yam Kumari Gurung, and Tulsiram Budha Magar.

According to the CIAA, the anti-graft body has sought the recovery of Rs 7.8 million each from former ministers Gupta and Shrestha, as well as from Tamang, Gurung, and Budha Magar. Similarly, Rs 5.3 million has been sought from Adhikari and Rs 2.5 million from Pun.

Gupta is a leader of the CPN-UML, while Shrestha serves as chairperson of the Nagarik Unmukti Party.

What Is the Litchi Orchard Land Scam?

The case concerns plot numbers 25, 26, and 28 of the litchi orchard located in Ward No 16 of Pokhara Metropolitan City (formerly Batulechaur-1), Kaski District.

According to the CIAA, following a court decision, Durga Devi Shah’s heirs, including Suraj Shah Thakuri, had applied for land ownership transfer at the Kaski Land Revenue Office. However, then–Chief Land Revenue Officer Ram Chandra Adhikari allegedly caused an unusual delay in the process.

Subsequently, real estate agent Sujan Kumar Tamang contacted the applicants and, in collusion with Yam Kumari Gurung and Tulsiram Budha Magar, conspired to seize the land.

The trio signed an agreement with the rightful land owners on June 2, 2024, forcing the heirs to allocate 40 percent of the land to themselves in exchange for completing the ownership transfer process.

The then Chief Land Revenue Officer Adhikari wrote letters to the Survey Office, District Court, and Ward Office to enforce this agreement. While the process was ongoing, Adhikari was transferred to the Lamjung Land Revenue Office on January 2, 2025 following a secretary-level decision of the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation.

Before his transfer, an audio recording surfaced in which former minister Gupta allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 5.3 million from the real estate agent in exchange for halting Adhikari’s transfer. The CIAA stated that another audio clip revealed Gupta asking for an additional Rs 2.5 million to appoint the same agent as a member of the Land Commission.

The audio clips were made public in July this year, after which Gupta resigned from his ministerial post on July 15.

The CIAA investigation also found records of frequent phone communication among the accused. Gupta and Shrestha reportedly contacted each other over 120 times—Gupta calling Shrestha 65 times and receiving 61 calls from her.

Gupta also made six calls to Adhikari and received ten, while he called Tamang 17 times and received four calls from him. Shrestha is also reported to have made 48 calls to Adhikari and received 72 in return.

Similarly, Shrestha and Tamang exchanged a total of 186 calls, while Shrestha and Pun made a combined 22 calls. The CIAA said other accused individuals also remained in contact through phone calls during the course of the alleged land transfer scheme.