Why Was Rajkumar Gupta Detained by the Special Court and How Did the Supreme Court Order His Release?

The Supreme Court has ordered the release of former Minister Rajkumar Gupta on NPR 5 million bail, overturning the Special Court’s previous detention order. Gupta was accused of accepting bribes related to the appointment of officials and staff transfers at the Land Commission. The Supreme Court found no evidence of bribery and ruled that detention was unnecessary, granting bail under Section 7(घ) of the Special Court Act, 2059.

On 6 Jestha in Kathmandu, the Supreme Court bench comprised of Justices Sharanga Subedi and Sunil Kumar Pokhrel issued the order stating that since there was no proof of bribery, Gupta should be released on bail rather than kept in custody. This decision reversed the Special Court’s initial directive.

The case involved allegations against former ministers Rajkumar Gupta and Ranjita Shrestha for accepting bribes. Claims included multiple deposits and withdrawals from Gupta’s account up until 32 Jestha 2081 BS. However, the Supreme Court examined various aspects of the case and concluded that Gupta’s detention was not warranted. Notably, it found no evidence that Kham Bahadur Pun was appointed to the Land Commission in Kaski, which supported their verdict.

The Special Court had earlier, on 16 Poush 2082 BS, ordered Gupta’s detention in connection with corruption charges, citing seven grounds including complaints against the minister and audio transcript excerpts allegedly proving bribery transactions. Despite these, the absence of recovered bribe money led the Special Court’s decision to be overturned by the Supreme Court, which released Gupta on bail instead.