Verdict on KL Dugar Group’s case likely today

Kathmandu, January 2

The Kathmandu District Court is likely to issue its verdict tomorrow on the charge sheet against the KL Dugar Group as the defendant’s lawyer will conclude the rejoinder, which started from Friday following the plaintiff’s argument. The government attorney had filed a chargesheet on Monday and court proceedings started from Tuesday.

Dhruba Kumar Upreti, registrar at the Kathmandu District Court, has said that the court is likely to issue the verdict tomorrow if the arguments are concluded. It is reported that three lawyers from the defendant’s side will present their arguments and one of them has already concluded his argument on Friday.

“We’ll present the defendants to the court as soon as the court opens tomorrow,” said Dan Bahadur Karki, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) at Metropolitan Police Circle, Baneshwor. “The chances of a verdict are higher if defendants are presented before the court in first hour.”

Police have managed to detain only two from altogether 11 accused in the cases of fraud and black-marketing. Bench of Judge Deependra Adhikari is scheduled to hear the court proceedings.

The prosecutor has filed chargesheet based on the report of the Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu. The police recommended Rs 140 million in fine and five years of imprisonment of the accused in the case of black-marketing. There is also a provision of five-year imprisonment if the fraud charge is proven.

It is reported that the fate of KL Dugar’s employees, arrested on December 3, will also be decided in the verdict. Police had arrested Manager Aman Jauthan and Liaison Officer Pramod Raj Adhikari from the warehouse of Swastik Oil Industries when the police had conducted a raid. Swastik Oil is a flagship business of KL Dugar Group.

Apart from Jauthan and Adhikari, KL Dugar Group’s Chairman Kishan Lal Dugar; Vice Chairman Naresh Dugar; Managing Directors Kumud Dugar, Vikas Dugar, Dharamchand Dugar, Pradeep Kumar Chhajed; and Accountants Chandika Prasad Kushwaha, Ramakant Pari and Gautam Dugar have been named as defendants in both the cases.

Even as the arrest warrant has already been issued against the accused chairman, vice chairman, managing directors and accountants of the Group, all of them are still at large and the police are said to be on lookout for them.

DSP Karki has confirmed that they are out of the country. Metropolitan Police Circle, Baneshwor, had raided the warehouse of Swastik as it had found the firm was dispatching edible oil at double the market rates after the country started witnessing shortage of daily essentials due to disruptions in supply lines from India. The five trucks impounded by the police were loaded with edible oil that the firm was planning to sell at Rs 320 per litre — double the price during normal times.

Following the raid on the warehouse of Swastik Oil Industries located at Jadibuti of Kathmandu, where five trucks laden with edible oil were impounded, the police had also raided the company’s factories located in Bara, Biratnagar and Nepalgunj to collect evidences.