INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, APRIL 17Maha Prasad Adhikari, who was suspended as governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, has filed a writ petition
at the Supreme Court demanding his reinstatement.
Ex-FinMins condemn suspension of NRB guv
NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari suspended
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
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com