Kathmandu, April 4:

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) today filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Paudel’s initiation to decide an appeal against the decision of the Special Court that awarded a clean chit to former minister Govinda Raj Joshi.

The CIAA has requested the apex court to settle all constitutional and legal issues raised by the Special Court while giving clean chit to Joshi.

After the CIAA’s plea was produced before him today, Chief Justice Paudel directed the court officials to collect all corruption cases pending in the Supreme Court and produce them before him along with the CIAA’s plea. According to SC Spokesperson Durga Prasad Dawadi, the Chief Justice said he would take appropriate decision after the administration produces all corruption cases before him.

The Special Court had given clean chit to Joshi, who is also a sitting member of the interim parliament, on the ground that the CIAA had filed the corruption case against him beyond the time limit required by Clause 29 of the CIAA Act, 2048 BS. As per this clause, a corruption case against anyone should be filed within a year after his/her removal from any public post. The CIAA has accused Joshi of accumulating about Rs 40 million misusing his authority while in power.

The CIAA had filed the appeal against the four-month-old verdict of the Special Court two months ago.