Kailali ward secretary granted bail in social security allowance irregularities case

Dhangadhi: The Special Court has ordered Prem Bahadur Budha, ward secretary of Janaki Rural Municipality Ward No. 1 in Kailali, to seek bail of Rs 200,000 in connection with alleged irregularities in the distribution of social security allowances.

The bench, comprising Special Court Chairman Sudarshan Dev Bhatta and judges Hemanta Rawal and Bidur Koirala, issued the order for Budha’s release on bail.

On Asoj 13, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) registered a corruption case against several officials of Janaki Rural Municipality Ward No. 9, Kailali. The accused include Ward Chairman Khakendra Bhandari, Ward Secretary Prem Bahadur Budha, ward members Kalpana Khadka, Sunkosa Sarki, Bijay Bahadur Rawal, Sher Bahadur Bishwakarma, buyer Purna Bahadur Bista, and office assistant Sonam Katharia.

They have been accused of registering deaths in the ward, creating duplicate records of beneficiaries receiving dual social security allowances using the same citizenship, and personally verifying the fingerprints of a total of 683 beneficiaries. Additionally, the defendants are alleged to have released funds to beneficiaries whose allowances had not been renewed, thereby benefiting themselves and causing financial losses to both the rural municipality and the Government of Nepal.