Anti-graft body appeals Supreme Court ruling acquitting engineer’s wife

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Nepal’s anti-graft body, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court challenging a special court’s decision to acquit Asha Kumari Yadav, wife of Sachindra Kumar Yadav, a senior divisional engineer at the Department of Tourism, Bhrikutimandap. Dissatisfied with the Special Court’s verdict on March 21, 2026 (Chaitra 8, 2082 BS), the CIAA lodged its appeal with the Supreme Court on October 2, 2026 (Ashoj 16, 2083 BS), as confirmed by Suresh Neupane, spokesperson for the commission.The CIAA had accused Sachindra Kumar Yadav of accumulating illicit wealth amounting to Rs 9.68 million (Rs 9,685,553.19) through the abuse of his public office. The anti-graft body had filed a charge sheet at the Special Court in Kathmandu, seeking imprisonment, a fine equivalent to the claimed amount, and the confiscation of illegally acquired assets, in accordance with the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059.According to the CIAA, Sachindra Kumar Yadav had allegedly hidden the illegally acquired assets and purchased property in his wife Asha Kumari Yadav’s name. Consequently, Asha Kumari was also named as a defendant in the case, with the aim of confiscating these assets. However, the Special Court, in its decision, granted her acquittal.With the appeal filed at the Supreme Court, the process of legal review of the Special Court’s decision has commenced. The CIAA stated that further judicial proceedings will be initiated based on the legal provisions related to the accumulation of illegal assets and their concealment.The exact date when the CIAA initially filed the charge sheet against Sachindra Kumar Yadav at the Special Court remains unclear. Furthermore, the date for the hearing of the appeal at the Supreme Court has not yet been scheduled. The final verdict of the Supreme Court regarding the acquittal of Asha Kumari Yadav is still unknown.