Kathmandu, Nov 28: A Nepalese court here has released on bail a journalist who was arrested a month ago for allegedly acquiring Nepali citizenship certificate illegally.
The Jhapa district court ordered the release of Binny Sharma alias Narayan Sharma Koirala, a former stringer of private Indian television channel on a bond of Rs.20,000, local daily 'The Rising Nepal' reported.

Binny, a representative of the television in Kathmandu in 1999 when an Indian Airlines jet was hijacked, however claims that he is a Nepali national, the paper said.
Binny has been accused of acquiring a Nepali citizenship certificate from the district administration office Jhapa in 1994, the paper said. The, then chairman of Chandragadhi Village Development Committee D P Bhattarai and chairman Hira Pokhrel, who were also arrested for recommending the citizenship certificate to Koirala, have been released on bail.



However, Binny's wife Minakshi Vandana Sharma, who was also arrested in connection with the same charge, is still detained by police.



Meanwhile, Nepal's special court had yesterday rejected the demand by former Nepalese ministers Khum Bahadur Khadka and Jayaprakash Gupta to release them on bail, official sources said.



The court on request by the commission for investigation of abuse of authority remanded the duo powerful ministers in dissolved Sher Bahadur Deuba Cabinet for 15 more days effective from November 24.



The CIAA had arrested both of the ministers on October 30, suspecting that they were involved in the abuse of authority while positions of power.



Bureau Report