Kathmandu: Former Secretary Sharada Prasad Trital, known for exposing the Lalita Niwas land scam, has called for a full investigation into alleged policy-level corruption surrounding the controversial land acquisition by Patanjali Yogpeeth in Kavre district. Trital defended the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for questioning former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, rejecting claims of political vendetta.

In a strongly worded statement on Facebook, Trital said, “Based on the facts, this appears to be a serious case of policy corruption. Taking a statement from a former prime minister involved in the decision-making process cannot be dismissed as political revenge.”

The controversy erupted after it was revealed that the CIAA had secretly recorded Nepal’s statement regarding the land deal, in which Patanjali was permitted to purchase land beyond legal limits and later sell a portion to a private housing company in less than two months. The approvals were granted during Nepal’s tenure as prime minister between Jestha 11, 2066 BS, and Magh 22, 2067 BS.

In Parliament on Tuesday, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSWP) MP Manish Jha raised concerns over the CIAA’s action, calling it “a pattern of political revenge.” Referring to past incidents involving his party president and Resham Chaudhary, Jha said, “Are we now targeting Madhav Nepal? Will there be an attack on Raut next?”

Trital responded critically, saying that such remarks undermine the fight against corruption. “It is contradictory for MPs to demand action against corrupt individuals while defending leaders from their own parties under investigation,” he said, highlighting what he described as a corrupt political mentality.

He also criticized efforts to shield decisions made by the Council of Ministers from CIAA scrutiny, arguing that such claims expose where corruption truly begins. “If the Prime Minister is involved in policy corruption, they should not be immune from investigation,” he added.

The former secretary also drew parallels with the Lalita Niwas land scam, in which Nepal and another former prime minister, Baburam Bhattarai, were accused of approving land transactions but faced no legal consequences, while action was taken against bureaucrats and land buyers.

In the Patanjali case, the Cabinet led by Madhav Nepal approved the purchase of 815 ropanis of land for Patanjali on Magh 18, 2066 BS. Just weeks later, on Chaitra 6, it allowed the sale of 353 ropanis of that land to a private housing company — a move that has now triggered scrutiny by the CIAA.

Trital warned that unless high-profile corruption is thoroughly investigated and the assets of leaders and officials since the multi-party system are audited, “democracy itself will be at risk.”

“There is no reason Madhav Nepal should be exempt from investigation,” he concluded.