CIAA team at Pashupati temple to probe gold Jalhari case

Kathmandu: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has started an investigation into the Jalhari controversy of Pashupatinath temple.

Following reports of irregularities in the management of the Jalhari, the CIAA team is now examining the weight of gold used in it.

Currently, the main entrance of Pashupatinath is restricted to the general public, with the temple premises being secured by the Nepali Army, Police, and Armed Police Force personnel.

Two years ago, a complaint was lodged with the authority alleging corruption in the installation of gold Jalhari in Pashupatinath temple.

Representatives of the Department of Mines and Geology, the Department of Quality and Metrology, and the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association will be involved in the Commission’s team. The officer informed that they will test the quality, weight and other issues of the gold made for the Jalahari.

It is suspected that an 11 kg gold scam has taken place in the Jalahari and the office bearers of the Pashupati Area Development Fund are involved in it. On January 12, 2077, the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, along with his wife Radhika Shakya and his aides, reached the Pashupatinath temple and performed the ‘Sankalpa Puja’ and announced that the Jalahari would be installed at a cost of around 1 billion rupees. According to the announcement, he said that the government would give 300 million rupees. Soon after, the Pashupati Area Development Fund decided to add Rs 500 million to the amount given by the government and install the Jalahari of 108 kg of gold.