CORRECTION ON BAIL DEMAND FROM BHARATI

CORRECTION ON BAIL DEMANDED FROM SHAMBHU BHARATI

Kathmandu, 29 July: A Rs. 150 million bail was demanded from Shambhu Bharati by CIAA and not the figure reported earlier. Rubel Chanduary has already left the country with his Nepali wife The error is regretted. Thanks and regards Bhola Rana..
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MINISTERIAL INTERVENTION IN PASHUPATI TRUST CREATES MESS

Kathmandu, 29 July:The Pashupati Area Development Trust, a body instituted to look after the hallowed Pashupatinath shrine, has not remained as sacred, thanks to the political parties and their leaders who have time and again profaned it to fulfil their partisan or personal interests, The Himalayan Times reports.

In the latest irreverent act, Culture Minister Khagendra Prasad Prasai has sacked the existing body of PADT and appointed his nephew as the new member secretary of the trust.

According to the Ministry of Federal Affairs, Constituent Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture, Laxmi Prasad Prasai has been appointed new member secretary of the trust. The ministry scrapped the Sushil Nahata-led PADT body accusing it of failing to rein in corruption.

Nahata and other PADT officials, however, said they would move the apex court tomorrow against the minister’s decision to oust them in the midst of their tenure. The Nahata-led PADT body was appointed for four years by former culture minister Minendra Rijal two years ago.

Prasai in capacity of the culture minister heads PADT as its chairman. He represents CP Mainali-led CPN-ML in the government.

The sacked PADT officials blamed Minister Prasai for politicising the religious shrine. “The minister appointed his nephew Laxmi as new PADT member secretary at around 9:30pm yesterday. He didn’t event consult other ministry officials before taking the decision,” said Nahata. “It’s height of flippancy that a land broker has been appointed PADT member secretary.”

The ministry officials admitted that the minister took the decision without consulting them. When contacted, Minister Prasai’s personal aide Narayan Pokharel refused to speak but suggested that ministry Spokesperson Jala Krishna Shrestha ‘might know the details’. When Shrestha was approached, he said he came to know about the new appointment only today after he received a letter from the ministry. Nahata accused Minister Prasai of violating the Supreme Court’s last Tuesday’s stay order. “I had filed a writ petition on July 21 and the apex court had issued a stay order on July 26,” said Nahata.

Sacked PADT Treasurer Narottam Vaidya said he learned about his dismissal today only.

The Hindu holy shrine was dragged to the court a few months ago following a government decision to make public its treasury. In 2008, the it was dragged into controversy after the then Maoist-led government made a failed attempt to sack the priests.
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