Everything You Need to Know About the Giribandhu Tea Estate Scandal
Summary
The Giribandhu Tea Estate scandal in Nepal involves political corruption and legal battles over a decades-old protected tea estate land in Jhapa, which was controversially approved for a land swap by the former government but later annulled by the Supreme Court.
Key Points
- The Giribandhu Tea Estate in Jhapa was exempt from land ceiling laws due to tea cultivation since the 1960s, allowing the Giri family to own extensive land in Birtamod.
- The KP Sharma Oli government amended land laws in 2020 and approved a controversial land swap for the estate in 2021, triggering allegations of policy corruption.
- The Supreme Court in 2024 annulled the Cabinet's decision citing procedural and substantive failures and directed the government to reclaim excess land.
- Parliamentary intervention was made in 2021 to halt the land exchange, but the legal and political controversy continued with widespread public and political debate.
