Supreme Court Orders Status Quo on Public Officials’ Asset Inquiry
Nepal’s Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending key activities of the government’s high-profile Property Investigation Commission, pending a final ruling on its constitutional validity. The decision temporarily halts the commission’s ongoing investigation into the assets of public officials. A division bench of Justices Tek Prasad Dhungana and Shreekanta Paudel directed the commission not to compel any individual to disclose property details or recommend legal or disciplinary action against any person until a three-judge full bench delivers its verdict. The court also referred the case to the full bench for a comprehensive hearing. The petitions challenging the commission were filed by advocates Prem Raj Silwal and Man Bahadur Lamichhane. They argued that the government exceeded its constitutional authority by establishing the commission through an executive decision, raising concerns over privacy rights, judicial independence and the constitutional jurisdiction of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority. In its order, the Supreme Court stated that allowing the investigation to proceed before resolving the constitutional questions could result in irreparable legal consequences. The court has also asked the Nepal Bar Association and the Supreme Court Bar Association to nominate legal experts to assist the full bench as amicus curiae. The five-member commission, formed on April 15 under retired Supreme Court Justice Rajendra Kumar Bhandari, was tasked with examining the assets of politicians, senior bureaucrats and security officials who held public office between 2005–06 and 2025–26. The commission’s future will now depend on the Supreme Court’s final ruling.
