SC orders CIAA to present IRD DG Sharma on Friday

Kathmandu / July 12: The Supreme Court ordered the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday to present Inland Revenue Department’s Director General Chudamani Sharma, who is presently in CIAA custody on corruption charge, before the court along with a reply in writing.

A single bench headed by Justice Purushottam Bhandari issued the order to present Sharma before the court at 10:30 am Friday through the Office of Attorney General along with a written reply why he had to be arrested and put into detention. Attachment of the copies of documents supporting the charge against him was imperative, the order stated.

Likewise, the CIAA has been directed to conduct medical check-up of Sharma and ensure him required medical treatment.

It may be noted that Sharma’s spouse Kalpana Upreti moved the apex court Tuesday to file a writ petition, demanding the immediate release of his husband. She claimed that Sharma’s confinement was illegal.

In the petition, she argued that the IRD Director General is entitled special rights to increase or narrow the tax base and Sharma had, in the same capacity, carried out his professional duties accordingly, the petition added.

The CIAA had arrested IRD DG Sharma on June 2 on the charge of indulging in irregularities in revenue fixation and had filed a case against him at the Special Court.

The Special Court later ordered to keep him in custody for further investigations into the case.

He has been charged of granting tax (capital gains tax) exemption to the Ncell, the private Telco, during the transfer of company’s ownership and playing a major role in waiving the tax of around Rs 21 billion as the member secretary in the Tax Settlement Commission. RSS