Court halts sale of helicopter linked to late climber Nirmal Purja

Kathmandu District Court has ordered a halt to the sale and transfer of a helicopter owned by Mustang Helicopter Pvt Ltd, a company associated with the late mountaineer Nirmal Purja, also known as ‘Nims Dai’. The order is related to the company’s failure to pay court-mandated compensation to homeowners Tanka Ghising and Dalmu Kittar Ghising, whose house was destroyed in an explosion in Kapan.According to the homeowners’ legal representatives, the couple was awarded Rs 114 million in compensation by the court. This decision by the Kathmandu District Court has also been upheld by Patan High Court. The couple is now proceeding with the enforcement of the verdict, while the company has challenged the district and high court rulings in the Supreme Court.The Office of Company Registrar informed the Kathmandu District Court on September 29 that the helicopter’s ownership had been frozen. Records from the Company Registrar indicate that the share ownership of Mustang Helicopter Pvt Ltd is held by ‘Nims Dai Limited’, based in London.The helicopter is reportedly being put up for sale following Purja’s death. Purja passed away on August 1, 2083, in an avalanche during an expedition to Broad Peak in Pakistan.Explosion destroyed Kapan homeThe Ghising couple’s two-and-a-half-story reinforced concrete cement (RCC) house in Ram Mandir-Lasuntar, Kapan, was completely destroyed in an explosion on Ashoj 5, 2079 BS. Elite Himalayan Adventures Pvt Ltd, another company associated with Purja, had rented the house for office operations.Court documents reveal that the explosion occurred due to the unauthorised storage of oxygen and LPG gas cylinders in the house. Mingma Gyabu Sherpa (Mingma David Sherpa) and Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, other directors of Elite Himalayan Adventures Pvt Ltd, are also defendants in the case.The homeowners had sought assistance from various bodies, including the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Budhanilkantha Municipality, for compensation. They stated that despite verbal and written commitments from the renting company to provide compensation, the payment was not made, leading to a legal battle that has lasted for approximately five years.What happens nextThe company has challenged the district and high court decisions in the Supreme Court. The outcome of the Supreme Court’s deliberation on this matter remains unclear. Further details regarding the helicopter’s sale process, following Purja’s demise, are also not available.