KATHMANDU, APRIL 17
Maha Prasad Adhikari, who was suspended as governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, has filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court demanding his reinstatement.
According to SC Spokesperson Bimal Paudel, Adhikari has challenged the government's decision to form a three-member committee to initiate a probe against him.
Adhikari was suspended from his post after the government decided to form a three-member investigation committee to look into charges against him.
The Nepal Rastra Bank Act stipulates that the governor or any official of the NRB shall be automatically suspended once the government launches an investigation against them. Deputy Governor Neelam Dhungana has been named the acting governor of the central bank.
According to Adhikari's lawyer Advocate Surendra Thapa, Adhikari has argued in his petition that the government decided to form a three-member probe committee against him without proving or levelling any charge of inefficiency against him. He said the decision to form a three-member committee was wrong also because one of the members of the committee - former justice of SC Purushottam Bhandari - was related to Finance Minister Janardan Sharma.
"The government took action against Adhikari without any reason. He had performed better than some of his predecessors.
As far as the current economic crisis is concerned, he had offered suggestions to the government to overcome the crisis. He had suggested how foreign reserves could be increased and how balance of payment situation could be improved," Thapa said.
Adhikari also urged the government to control increasing import from foreign countries, but instead of acting on Adhikari's suggestions, the government deviated from its responsibility, claimed Thapa.
According to Thapa, Adhikari has argued in his petition that Finance Minister Janardan Sharma's action against him was influenced by his decision to freeze the account of a business person who sent almost Rs 400 million from the United States.
He said the agencies in Nepal, including the NRB, were investigating against the businesspersons, as there were doubts regarding his source of income. The US authorities also urged the NRB to repatriate the sum, Thapa added. Adhikari has stated in his petition that the government's action against him is unlawful.
He has demanded that the court issue an interim order against the government's attempt to sack him.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 17, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
