Kathmandu, May 2Rukma Shumsher Rana, Capak Shumsher Rana and Hemadri Shumsher Rana, family members of late Subarna Shumsher Rana, issued a press release nowadays denying allegations levelled against them in Lalita Niwas land-seize case.Rukma Shumsher is the son of late Nepali Congress leader Subarna Shumsher Rana.
Their clarification came weeks after media reports alleged that children of late Rana had illegally transferred land acquired by the government in the 1960s, after paying compensation to the Subarna Shumsher Rana family.Family members of late Rana claimed that the Panchayat government had confiscated 299 ropani land in Baluwatar area that belonged to their family.
The post democratic era government returned only those land plots that were forfeited by the government in the 1960 to punish Subarna Shumsher and Kanchan Shumsher for championing the cause of democracy, they said.They said Subarna Shushmer and Kanchan Shumsher were imposed life term with confiscation of their properties on July 6, 1966.They said they sold all the land plots that they reclaimed in Baluwatar area on the basis of the government decisions taken on May 28, May 31and July 23 in 1990.Sharada Prasad Trital-led probe committee which recently submitted a report has said that the government had forfeited only 14 anna land of Subarna Shumsher and the government had paid compensation to Subarna Shumsher for acquiring his 285 ropani land.As per the Trital committee recommendations, the government had halted the sale and purchase of Lalita Niwas area land plots.Rukma Shumsher, Hemadri Shumsher and Capak Shumsher said that the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, which looked into the complaints lodged against their land plots in Baluwatar area, decided in 2004 to keep the case pending.
This also proved that the anti-graft body had accepted the government decision to return their land.They said Kathmandu district court had accepted in a case that their land was much acquired by the government.They said that when late Subarna Shumsher partitioned the property which was registered at a government office among his coparceners on 28 June 1960, each member got 57 ropani land but when the then government issued muchice in Nepal gazette with regard to land acquisition, it showed that Subarna Shumsher and Kanchan Shumsher held only 14 ropani land, which they said is unacceptable to them.They said as per partition deeds, Subarna and Kanchan Shumsher held 57 ropani each (114 ropani in total) but gazette only stated 14 ropani land under Subarna Shumsher and Kanchan Shumsher ownership.