The Supreme Court (SC) has instructed the government to not immediately implement the decision about land fragmentation.
The bench of Justice Sushma Lata Mathema hearing the petition filed by advocate Santosh Bhandari has instructed the government on Monday to not implement the decision and keep it as it is until September 24.
The Apex Court has summoned both the parties in the petition for discussion on September 24 and will decide whether to issue interim order or not after hearing arguments of both the sides.
Minister for Land Reform, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Padma Aryal on September 3 had taken a minister level decision allowing land fragmentation. Advocate Bhandari had then moved the SC arguing that the decision is against clause 8 of the Land Use Act that prohibits use of land for purposes other than stipulated.
The decision taken by Minister Aryal to allow fragmentation of arable land has already been neutered after it was widely condemned even inside ruling CPN. "Earlier decisions about fragmentation of arable land taken at the minister level of the Nepal Government on 2020-9-3 until regulation about land use policy is issued have been revoked," the ministry's decision signed by Joint-secretary at the ministry Dip Kumar Pahari states.
The previous instruction issued by Minister Aryal on January 11, 2019 allowing fragmentation of nonarable land has also been revoked.
