Former Prime Minister and Chairman of CPN-S Madhav Kumar Nepal has given a statement that the chief secretary will check whether the proposals coming to the cabinet are legal or not. In the statement taken by the Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission on Patanjali land embezzlement case on March 7, 2081, Nepal also said that it did not take any decision with wrong motives.

On Thursday, a corruption case was filed against former Prime Minister and CPN-S Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal in the Patanjali land embezzlement case. The Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission has filed a case against the defendants in the land embezzlement case including Nepal in a special court on Thursday.

It was the then Prime Minister of Nepal who gave instructions to purchase land in the name of Patanjali at a limited discount and give approval to illegally sell it to a housing company within two months of purchase. In the year 2066, Patanjali Yogpeeth and Ayurveda Company of Indian yoga guru Ramdev purchased 593 ropani land in Banepa of Kavre and sold 353 ropani to Housing Company.

In a statement with the authority, the former Prime Minister of Nepal said on 29th December 2066  He said that he does not remember exactly everything about the decision of the meeting of the Council of Ministers. The chief secretary's team is responsible for checking whether all the decisions from below are legal or not. After the Chief Secretary determines that the proposal is appropriate in all respects and submits it to the Prime Minister and later to the Council of Ministers, a decision is taken from there. If there is a question, if there is a doubt or if there is a need for further discussion, then that matter becomes a subject of further discussion and debate,' Nepal said in a statement, 'Otherwise, the Council of Ministers passes the proposal. The Prime Minister alone cannot take any decision and I am not aware of such practice. Patanjali Yoga Peetha and Ayurveda Company Nepal are not sure about the purpose of using the land in excess of the limit demanded.

When Patanjali was allowed to buy and sell demarcated land, the Cabinet led by Nepal had Dumbar Shrestha as Minister of Land Reforms, Madhav Ghimire as Chief Secretary and Chabiraj Pant as Secretary of Land Reforms. The Authority claims that during the investigation, written facts were found that the then Prime Minister of Nepal had instructed Minister Shrestha to proceed with the proposal to sell Patanjali's land. The then Chief Secretary Ghimire went missing in Trishuli in a jeep accident 10 years ago. Therefore, his wife Kamala Ghimire has been made a defendant. 

This is Nepal's statement

From the decision of the Council of Ministers dated 09/22/2066, the policy of giving concessions to industrial establishments to hold more land than the maximum limit, in the case of the postponement of 2062, the Council of Ministers with the purpose of approving Patanjali Yogpeeth and Ayurveda Company Nepal to purchase more land than the limit. I don't remember anything about how it was decided from the meeting dated 2066.09.29 that "the Council of Ministers will discuss the bill in the committee and do it according to the decision of the committee". I do not remember exactly everything on the basis of which the decision of the meeting of the Council of Ministers dated 29.09.2066 was made.

This must have come up in the context of a problem. But no matter what problems arise, I believe that any decision and work should be done in such a way that the country and the people are not harmed, without breaking the law. I do not remember the reasons behind the decision of the Council of Ministers dated 29.09.2066 to entrust the decision to the Bill Committee, which is not within the scope of the Social Committee. When a problem arises, after proposals are made from the concerned ministry or the chief secretary that this is the legal way to solve the problem, even the ministers  This decision must have been made after agreeing. According to the Land Act, 2021 and the strategy for granting concessions to industrial establishments to hold more land than the maximum limit, 2062, Patanjali Yoga Peeth and Ayurveda Company Nepal can be given permission to hold more land than the limit.

But it has always been my belief that while doing any work, the things that benefit the country and the people should be kept at the center. The then employees, agencies and agencies connected with the law should pay attention to it. I want to emphasize this. But I want to say with certainty that none of these actions were done by me with wrong motives motivated by personal interest. Before the decisions of the Council of Ministers dated 2066.09.29 and the decisions of the Council of Ministers, Bills Committee dated 2066.10.18, Patanjali Yoga Peeth and Ayurveda Company Nepal purchased more than 550 plantations of land in Kavrepalanchok district and mortgaged the land in excess of that amount to Sunrise Bank Limited on 11/16/2065 as a result of the said illegal act. I did not know and remember the decision of the Council of Ministers and the Council of Ministers, the Bills Committee for what reasons to give legality. Before submitting any proposal to the Council of Ministers, the following procedures are followed. The Chief Secretary's team is responsible for checking whether all the decisions from below are in accordance with the law. After the Chief Secretary determines that the proposal is suitable in all respects and submits it to the Prime Minister and later to the Council of Ministers, a decision is taken from there.

If a question arises, if there is a doubt or if there is a need for further discussion, that topic becomes a topic for further discussion and discussion. If not, the proposal will be passed by the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister alone cannot take any decision and I am not aware of such practice. Patanjali Yoga Peetha and Ayurveda Company Nepal are not in agreement on the purpose of using more land than the limit demanded, but there is no memory of how and on what basis the decision was made. I don't remember on what basis the decision was made by the Council of Ministers on 2066/12/06 to allow Patanjali Yoga Peeth and Ayurveda Company Nepal to be exempted from selling. I don't remember that the then Minister of Land Reforms and Laws said in his comment about giving permission to Patanjali Yoga Peeth and Ayurveda Company Nepal for sale and lease of land in excess of the limit, "According to the request of the petitioner, he decided to submit a proposal to the Council of Ministers as he was instructed orally to bring a proposal from the Honorable Prime Minister for approval to sell and lease land as per the petitioner's demand." I am strongly opposed to doing anything motivated by personal interest. In this way, no order or instruction has been given by me to anyone, not even to the minister, to violate the law in such a way as to cause losses to the nation.