Kathmandu, July 26

The Chief Commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, Lokman Singh Karki, didn’t appear before the Good Governance and Monitoring Committee of Parliament today to discuss the CIAA’s alleged interference in Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences’ entrance examinations.

Karki cited health problems for not showing up. In a letter sent to the committee, he stated he was suffering from throat problems and doctors advised him not to speak for a week.

Five other commissioners of the CIAA: Deep Basnyat, Nabin Kumar Ghimire, Ganesh Raj Joshi, Raj Narayan Pathak and Sabitri Thapa Gurung; also skipped the meeting, But without giving any reason.

The committee had summoned all office-bearers of the constitutional body, including Karki, to dwell on CIAA’s alleged interference in the post-graduate entrance examination of the KUSMS, conducted on May 28.

CIAA Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi, Spokesperson Krishna Hari Pushkar and six other staffers were, however, present in the meeting. Subedi maintained that the CIAA only fulfilled its constitutional role and duty as a ‘watchdog’ after repeated complaints of irregularities in examinations.

He claimed that the CIAA carried out inspection and monitoring of question papers and examinations by remaining in the outer fringes and considering KUSMS autonomy in consultation with university officials.

The CIAA probed the exam, claiming that it received information that the question paper was leaked.

The committee formed a five-member team to investigate the CIAA’s alleged involvement in MD entrance examination and asked it to submit a report in 10 days. Members of the team include lawmakers Udaya Nepali Shrestha, Padma Narayan Chaudhary, Narasimha Chaudhary, Milan Rajbanshi and Janak Raj Joshi.

At the meeting, lawmakers asked Secretary Subedi why the CIAA had interfered in the entrance exam of an autonomous academic institution. On Friday, while apprising the House panel, Kathmandu University Registrar Bhola Thapa and Dean Narendra Rana said the CIAA was involved in “preparing questions, conducting examination and publishing the result”.

In today’s meeting, CPN-Maoist Centre’s lawmaker Amanlal Modi said the versions of KU and the CIAA officials were contradictory and sought an investigation to find the truth.

NC leader Arjun Narsingh KC reiterated that the CIAA had exercised extrajudicial powers and interfered in an autonomous academic institution, demanding thorough inquiry.