A team of police deployed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Friday took journalist Kanak Mani Dixit into custody. Around 20 police personnel including those in civvies held him from Patan Dhoka in Lalitpur district. 

The anti-graft body has been probing the property details of Dixit on suspicion of amassing property disproportionate to his known source of income. He is also the chairman of Sajha Yatayat. 

"We have arrested the Sajha Yatayat Chairman Dixit not the journalist to investigate his involvement in corruption," said CIAA spokesperson Krishna Hari Pushkar. 

In a statement on Friday, the CIAA said Dixit was arrested according to CIAA Act 2048 (1991) Section 19.1 (c) for his defiance and non-cooperation in its investigation despite repeated notice to appear before the commission.

The anti-graft body said the property details submitted by Dixit on Jan 24, 2016, didn’t match with the various documents provided by various concerned bodies after its enquiry. 

The Act allows the CIAA to issue an order to the police to arrest and produce in the court the person who fails to be present in the Commission within the stipulated time after receiving notice.

Earlier, Dixit had appeared before the CIAA on Jan 8. 

Dixit was among the 29 high-ranking personalities summoned by the CIAA in December last year.

"My arrest was a part of vendetta for having opposed his [Lokman Singh Karki] appointment to the CIAA Chief's post in the past," Dixit told the Post over phone from CIAA custody. "It's against the Supreme Court order issued by then Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha."  He added that SajhaYatayat is not a public institution but a cooperative and the CIAA's action is politically motivated. 

The CIAA said it has been investigating complaints against Dixit that he amassed illegal property by abusing his public post, and bought house and land in USA and transferred the ownership of the land registered in the name of Madan Sumsher Rana and Jagadamba Rana. 

Miffed by the CIAA move, Dixit had moved the Supreme Court (SC) in December arguing that the anti-graft body breached its jurisdiction and violated the investigation process without mentioning particular charges. CIAA officials had handed over a summon letter to Dixit at the Tribhuvan International Airport while he was about to board a flight to Delhi. 

Responding to the writ, SC had ordered the CIAA to abide by the legal procedure while conducting its investigation.