A division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Saranga Subedi and Shreekanta Paudel has dismissed writ petitions filed by Silver Heritage Investment Pvt Ltd and Tiger One Pvt Ltd companies seeking the return of public land allegedly encroached upon by Rupandehi based Tiger Palace resort. Moreover, the hotel which was built in more than 13 bigha land, also faces accusation of owning property beyond land ceiling permitted by the law.
The government must now move forward without delay to recover encroached public and government land.
The resort, built in 2018 at Kotihawa in Tilottama Municipality-17, under the name of Hong Kong-based multinational company Tiger One Pvt. Ltd, has been mired in the land-related controversy ever since its establishment.
It should be recalled that the hotel was operated by the Soaltee Group associated with former King Gyanendra. Any disputed agreements and other matters connected with the hotel should now be brought within the scope of a transparent public investigation, with appropriate decisions taken in accordance with the law.
Three former Prime Ministers- CPN UML Chair KP Oli, Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Nepali Communist Party Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal have been accused of protecting the interests associated with Silver Heritage Tiger One, reportedly acquired in Hong Kong. The operators, Buddhi Sagar Subedi and Deepak Gautam, are accused of acting in bad faith.
Questions have also been raised about loans issued by private banks through allegedly duplicate demand drafts (DDs). The Supreme Court is yet to release the full texts of its decision, but the top court's decision to quash the writ petitions had done justices to the local community. The alleged encroachment of public and government land is a serious matter that demands scrutiny.
Numerous maneuvers and misleading publicity were used in attempts to tarnish the reputation of the former Nepali operators. The so-called Nepali purchasers also allegedly attempted to damage former lawmaker Rajendra Bajgain's reputation. Certain political factions and groups within the Nepali Congress are alleged to have been actively involved in these efforts.
Bajgain even raised concerns with Australian government regulatory authorities as a whistleblower, striving to uphold Nepal's dignity and protect the reputation of Nepalis.
Over time, matters concerning properties frozen in Nepal were allegedly drawn into the political shadows. Through various transactions and maneuvers involving acquisitions in Hong Kong, individuals associated with the Nepali diaspora (NRN community) and Nepali Congress supporters allegedly entered Nepal's domestic affairs.
Rajendra Bajgain consistently sought a policy-level solution by pursuing the demarcation and realignment of government land to bring these disputes to a definitive conclusion. However, according to him, the foreign representative did not accept his proposal.
