The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority has started an investigation into allegations that Indian yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Yogpeeth and Ayurveda Company embezzled land that had received a limited exemption from the government. The Authority has started a detailed investigation against Patanjali and the government official who allowed Patanjali to illegally buy and sell land on the charge of illegally selling demarcated land and causing damage to the state.

Authority spokesperson Narahari Ghimire said that a detailed investigation is being conducted into the matter of Patanjali illegally buying and selling the land taken under limited exemption for the purpose of running industries/educational institutions. "A detailed investigation is being conducted on the complaint that Patanjali has misappropriated the land bought from the government on a limited discount, as it is under investigation, it is not possible to talk about other issues," said spokesperson Ghimire. According to sources, statements have been started from the authorities who gave permission to Patanjali to sell demarcated land against the law. In the last three days  7 employees of land administration have reached the authority and given a statement.

Indian yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali misappropriation of 353 plants

The authority had earlier directed the Land Management and Records Department to conduct an internal investigation and submit a report on Patanjali's purchase and sale of restricted land. After the authority's instructions, the department formed an investigation committee under the coordination of Lok Bahadur Bhandari, chief cargo officer of Bhaktapur. The committee submitted a report with the opinion that further investigation should be conducted on the misuse of demarcated land.

After the evidence of Patanjali misappropriation of land contrary to the law on delimitation came out, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives also instructed the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation to provide all the documents within 7 days for investigation and study. On June 6, Kantipur published a news report about the misappropriation of more than 300 ropanis of land given to Patanjali a decade and a half ago by the then Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's government to operate the industry. On January 18, 2066, the then Nepal-led government gave approval to Patanjali to buy 815 plantations of land in Kavre at a limited discount to run Ayurvedic University, Research Center, Yogashala, Ayurvedic Medicine Industry, Herb Farming, Cow Farm etc.

The report on Patanjali's land embezzlement is secret. Permission was granted to sell the land. Then Patanjali sold the land. The then Prime Minister of Nepal, Minister of Land Reforms Dumbar Shrestha, Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire (now deceased), then Secretary of the Ministry of Land Reforms Chhabiraj Pant were involved in the decision making process of buying and selling land under demarcation.

353 ropani 15 annas land was sold to Kastamandap Business Homes Pvt. Ltd. and 88 ropani land was bought in Dhulikhel for Patanjali. It is prohibited to occupy the land bought with a limited discount for the operation of company-industry/trade-business, educational institutions, foundations etc. against the conditions. Section 12 of the Land Act 2021 has clearly explained the conditions and restrictions to be followed, including the equivalent quantity of the land to be leased, the value of the land, and the land value, if the restricted land is to be transferred to another place after being registered as a speculative land.

Patanjali's audit committee has started an investigation into land concessions

Patanjali is a company run by Indian yoga guru Ramdev. In Nepal, Patanjali Yogapeeth and Ayurveda Company is registered as a non-profit trust. It was registered in the records of the company registrar's office on 20th December 2064 and currently it seems that Yogi Ramdev, Balkrishna Acharya, Shaligram Singh, Rajendra Singh and Umesh Sarraf are the directors. Shaligram Singh appears to be acting on behalf of Patanjali Nepal in all its transactions in Nepal. In 2066, the facts show that even when land was bought and sold under the limitation exemption, the transaction was done through him.

The Land Act, 2021 has set a limit of 11 bighas in Terai region, 25 ropani in Kathmandu and 75 ropani in hilly areas. A person or his family can keep 1 bigha in terai and inner Madhesh, 5 ropani in Kathmandu valley and 5 ropani in hilly areas except the valley, if necessary in the household. However, there is a provision that land can be purchased from the government at a limited discount by confirming the need to operate industries/businesses, organizations, etc. However, the government can bring the land bought under such a limited discount in its name if it is misused or used contrary to the conditions.