Legal Framework on Prime Minister and Ministers Holding Land Beyond Prescribed Limits
Land records of the Prime Minister and ministers reveal instances where land is registered under family members’ names contrary to the Land Act. According to Section 7 of the Land Act 2076, no individual or family is permitted to hold land beyond the specified limits by area, and any excess land is subject to confiscation by the state. Former Secretary Gopinath Mainali stated that while land exceeding the limit can be held, it must be registered under institutional names, and without integrated land registry data, it is difficult to ascertain the facts definitively.
Kathmandu, 30 Chaitra — The land holdings of Nepal’s Prime Minister and ministers exceed the limits prescribed by the Land Act, according to publicly disclosed asset records. Some are found to have registered land in the names of family members in violation of the Land Act. The amended Land Act 2076, Section 7, restricts the amount of land an individual can own based on geographic area: a maximum of 10 bighas or 70 ropanis. Specifically, 10 bighas in Madhes and Terai, 25 ropanis in the Kathmandu Valley, and 70 ropanis in other hilly regions. An additional 5 ropanis or one bigha is allowed for residential purposes. Land exceeding these limits can be confiscated by the government.
Key details include Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s family holding 9 bighas in Mahottari and 1.2 bighas in Dhanusha. Home Minister Sudan Gurung owns 19 ropanis and 15 aana in Dhankuta, while under his grandfather’s name there are 221 ropanis in Gorkha. He stated that his land was acquired through investment income, and his grandfather’s land is ancestral. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal’s father owns 28 ropanis across Tanahun and former Nawalparasi districts. Minister for Physical Infrastructure Sunil Lamsal’s father holds 29 ropanis in Syangja, and Education Minister Sasmita Pokhrel’s mother owns 11 ropanis and 4 aana in Godawari, Lalitpur.
Former Secretary Mainali explained that if land holdings exceed the prescribed limit, the government can acquire it by offering appropriate compensation. “Prime Minister and ministers appear to have registered land in the names of their parents or spouses, as the family is considered a single unit when determining limits,” he said. “There is provision to hold land in both husband’s and wife’s names. Land exceeding limits may be held for business purposes, but only if registered under institutional names. Such land must officially belong to institutions and must serve the designated purposes.”
Mainali added that, due to the absence of integrated real-time land registry data, land may be registered across multiple districts, making it hard to determine overall holdings against the limits. “One person may own land in three or more districts; hence, it is difficult to evaluate the limit compliance on aggregate. While geo-service systems are implemented in land offices, they are not fully operational, which creates this issue. Only when a unified database is established will clarity on land holding limits be achieved.”
