KATHMANDU: Since the restoration of democracy in 1990, 10 Nepali Congress (NC) leaders have served as home ministers. The number rises to 11 if the tenure of Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, who became home minister from the Madheshi People’s Rights Forum, is also counted. Gachchhadar is a Central Working Committee member of NC now.
Yog Prasad Upadhyaya was the first NC leader to serve as home minister following the political change of 1990. Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, who led the interim government, included Upadhyaya in his cabinet from March 1990 until May 1991.
After him, the position was held by Sher Bahadur Deuba (2048–2051 BS), Khum Bahadur Khadka (2052–2053 and 2054–2055 BS), Govind Raj Joshi (2055–2056 BS), Purna Bahadur Khadka (2056–2058 BS), Ram Chandra Paudel (2056–2058 BS), Krishna Prasad Sitaula (2063–2065 BS), Bimalendra Nidhi (2073–2074 BS) and Bal Krishna Khand (2078–2079 BS). Ramesh Lekhak has held the position since July last year.
Six of these 11 leaders have been embroiled in controversies. Three of them were convicted and served prison terms. Their involvement in different corruption scandals has tarnished the reputation of the NC, which calls itself the vanguard of democracy.
Controversial Home Ministers
Khum Bahadur Khadka, who held the post twice, was convicted of corruption by the Supreme Court on August 14, 2012. He was sentenced to one and a half years in prison, fined Rs 9.475 million and ordered to forfeit an equal amount in illegally acquired assets. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a case in the Special Court, alleging that he had amassed Rs 23.6 million through illicit means. Although the Special Court acquitted him in November 2006, the CIAA filed an appeal at the Supreme Court. The top court convicted Khadka. Khadka served his sentence and has since passed away.
Govinda Raj Joshi, another former home minister, was convicted by the Supreme Court on July 28 last year in a corruption case. He received a nine-month prison sentence and a fine of Rs 6.915 million, equivalent to his unaccounted assets. The CIAA had accused him of amassing Rs 39.362 million through corrupt practices. The case, filed 12 years before his conviction, effectively ended his political career.
Gachchhadar faces charges in the Lalita Niwas land scam. He was indicted in January 2020 and suspended from his parliamentary position. Accused of illegally transferring government land to private individuals, he was released on bail. The case remains pending.
Krishna Prasad Sitaula came under scrutiny in the ‘Sudan Scam’, involving Rs 290 million in alleged corruption during the procurement of armored vehicles and supplies for Nepal Police peacekeeping mission in Sudan. The procurement process reportedly bypassed procurement regulations, resulting in substandard, overpriced and expired equipment that violated the United Nations standards. Although the CIAA filed a case in June 2011, Sitaula was not named a defendant. However, four senior police officers were later convicted by the Supreme Court after it overturned a Special Court acquittal. Sitaula, currently a National Assembly member, has denied wrongdoing.
Bal Krishna Khand was arrested in connection with the fake Bhutanese refugee scam. He spent seven months in custody before being released on bail of Rs 3 million. During his tenure as the home minister, he allegedly facilitated the smuggling of Nepali citizens to the US by falsely registering them as Bhutanese refugees. The case is ongoing, casting doubt on his once-promising political future.
Ramesh Lekhak, the incumbent home minister from the NC, is facing controversy over allegations that his secretariat facilitated the departure of Nepalis to different labor destinations on visit visas in exchange for bribes. The issue came to light after the CIAA summoned Joint Secretary Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, who previously as the chief immigration officer at Tribhuvan International Airport and was later transferred to the home ministry, for questioning. The timing of his transfer has raised suspicion, with critics alleging it was an attempt to shield him from the probe.
Opposition parties, including the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), have called for Lekhak’s resignation, citing his previous stance that ministers should step down to ensure fair investigations—a position he had taken when RSP leader Rabi Lamichhane was Home Minister. Dr Shekhar Koirala, who leads the anti-establishment faction of the NC, has also urged Lekhak to step down on moral grounds.
Lekhak has denied any involvement in the scam and termed accusations against him a politically motivated conspiracy. He has vowed to resign from politics if found guilty. “The home ministry is such a large ministry — it has not thousands but hundreds of thousands of employees. A constitutional body or a competent investigative agency can start an investigation against any one of those employees, at any time,” he told journalists on Saturday. “Should all the ministers keep resigning if an investigation is launched against any employee? Is that the precedent we want to set? Is that even possible? Has that ever happened till today?”
Lekhak was scheduled to address allegations against him in the meeting of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. However, the opposition disrupted the proceedings, demanding that he step down first.
Non-Controversial Home Ministers
NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba served as home minister without major controversy and has gone on to become Prime Minister five times.
Ram Chandra Paudel also served without incident and currently holds the position of President of Nepal.
Bimalendra Nidhi is the only Madhesi leader from the NC to hold the position. He served as the home minister from August 2016 to June 2017 in the government led by CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal. While there were attempts to stir controversy over his appointment of the Inspector General of Police, Nidhi stood firm on the principle of seniority. He briefly resigned but returned after Sarbendra Khanal was appointed to the position.
During the Madhes movement, Nidhi was drawn into controversy after five individuals were killed in police firing in Maleth of Saptari. Nidhi clarified that he had not issued any firing orders and later met with the families of the victims.
Purna Bahadur Khadka, another NC leader who has served as home minister, is the incumbent Vice President of the Nepali Congress. His tenure in the home ministry was free from controversy
Yog Prasad Upadhyaya is no longer active in politics.
