The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday formed a four-member committee headed by a joint secretary of the ministry to probe the granting and renewal of a weapon permit to the controversial businessman Durga Prasai.

A ministerial-level decision formed a committee headed by Joint Secretary Rajendra Dev Pandey from the home ministry. Other members of the committee include Under Secretary Rishi Paudel and Superintendent of Police Santosh Bhattarai. Under Secretary Ek Dev Adhikari serves as the committee's member-secretary.

The committee has been tasked with investigating the issuance of a permit to Prasai, as well as its subsequent renewal, and recommending action against those found guilty.

Similarly, the committee has been instructed to submit a comprehensive report within 15 days by determining criteria on the use of firearms by individuals possessing licenses. This entails scrutinizing legal provisions and practices associated with the renewal of arms licenses, and proposing amendments to existing laws as deemed necessary.

Furthermore, the committee has been tasked with reviewing the practices of monitoring, regulating, and controlling to prevent the misuse of licensed arms. The panel is also mandated to identify an appropriate framework for managing and regulating records of weapons.

Two aides of Prasai—Deepak Khadka and Raj Kumar Dhital—were arrested with a semi-automatic weapon and 100 bullets from the premises of the Supreme Court on March 18. A bench of Nahakul Subedi and Sunil Kumar Pokharel later released them.