Supreme Court orders govt to nationalise Prerana Singh's land

KATHMANDU: Striking down its one-and-half-year-old order, the Supreme Court on Thursday told the government to nationalise 15 ropani and one aana land owned by former Princess Prerana Rajya Laxmi Singh, daughter of ex-King Gyanendra Shah.

A full bench Chief Justice Sushila Karki and Justice duo Deepak Kumar Karki and Sapana Pradhan Malla struck down the order of the then Chief Justice Ram Kumar Prasad Shah and Justice Cholendra SJB Rana issued on June 21, 2015 and made the verdict that the land that she received from her father as gift when she was married off should be nationalised.

The order had told the Nepal Trust to return the land to the former Princess.

The land situated in a posh area in Tahachal of the Capital is worth Rs 1 billion as per the current market rates.

After the Nepal Trust nationalised her land, the former princess had filed on February 8, 2015, arguing that the Trust illegally took over the property.

She had named the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the Nepal Trust among others as defendants in the case.