Biratnagar: The High Court in Biratnagar has overturned the order of the Morang District Court, demanding a bail of Rs 10 million each from four defendants, including Anjila Koirala, the wife of Public Accounts Committee Chairman Rishikesh Pokharel, in the Umagauri Cooperative fraud case.
A single bench of Justice Bishnu Prasad Aryal at the High Court in Biratnagar, on Thursday, ordered that the four defendants, including Anjila Koirala—wife of PAC Chairman and CPN-UML lawmaker Rishikesh Pokharel—who were released, must post a bail of Rs 1 crore each.
Morang District Court had previously ordered Koirala’s release on a bail of Rs 1 million. This cooperative is accused of a fraud exceeding Rs 220 million.
The High Court in Biratnagar has demanded a bail Rs 10 million each from Koirala, Santalal Khawas, Jyoti Baskota, and Roshan Rajbanshi, who is currently in custody. The order from the district court has been upheld for the cooperative’s chairman, Shambhu Prasad Rauniyar, who remains in custody for further investigation.
Earlier, a bench of then-judge Uddhav Prasad Bhattarai at the Morang District Court had ordered the release of lawmaker’s wife Koirala on a bail of Rs 1 million, Jyoti Baskota on Rs 500,000, Suman Lohani on Rs 200,000, and Manoj Kumar Soni on Rs 100,000 on 24 December 2024.
Government Attorney’s Office had filed an appeal at the High Court against this district court order, demanding that the defendants be kept in custody to advance the investigation of the case.
After the appeal was filed against the district court’s order at the High Court, the hearing for this case was postponed 13 times within a three-month period and was once listed as exempt on hearing.
On 24 April 2024, a joint bench of Judges Shreedhara Kumari Pudasaini and Keshav Prasad Bastola had a difference of opinion. This bench differed primarily on the amount of bail to be set for the defendants, rather than whether to release them on bail or keep them in custody.
Judge Bastola had presented the opinion that a bail of Rs 10 million should be demanded for defendants Roshan Rajbanshi, Anjila Koirala, Jyoti Baskota, and Santalal Khawas, and Rs 250,000 for the other three individuals. However, Judge Pudasaini opined that the general bail order from the Morang District Court should be upheld. Due to this difference of opinion, the case was scheduled for a hearing before a third judge’s bench to break the deadlock.
The bench of the third judge, Bishnu Prasad Aryal, overturned the district court’s order on Thursday.
This cooperative, located in Karsiya Bazaar, Dhanpalthan Rural Municipality, Morang, has 8,842 general share members with a share capital of Rs 30.08 million. It is accused of showing investments and loans of over Rs 240 million, resulting in a misappropriation of Rs 220.48 million.
The case was filed against Anjila and 25 others at the Morang District Court on the 12 December 2024.
In this case, the cooperative’s chairman, Shambhu Prasad Rauniyar, and former ward chairman of Dhanpalthan, Roshan Rajbanshi, are in custody for further investigation. The High Court’s order demands a Rs 10 million bail for Roshan, while the order for Shambhu has been upheld by the district court.
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