KATHMANDU: The Special Court has ordered eight former cabinet ministers—including Dr. Minendra Rijal, Mrigendra Singh Yadav, Rakam Chemjong, Umakanta Chaudhary, and Mahendra Prasad Yadav—to appear in court to record their testimonies regarding Patanjali land corruption case involving former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.

The bench of Judges Narayan Prasad Paudel, Hemanta Rawal, and Umesh Koirala issued the summons on Thursday for those who had previously provided statements to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

The case, filed by the CIAA on June 5, 2025, names 93 defendants and seeks the recovery of Rs 185.85 million in fines and damages.

The anti-graft body alleges that former Prime Minister Nepal, along with his then-Land Reform Minister Dambar Shrestha and high-ranking officials, illegally permitted the Patanjali Yogpeeth and Ayurveda Company to buy, sell, and swap 314 ropanis of land exceeding legal ceiling limits.

The illicit transactions were approved through an executive decree on February 1, 2010, followed by a cabinet decision on February 18, 2010, during Nepal’s premiership.