Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and several of his ministers are at the centre of multiple corruption scandals. From a controversial land swap involving the historic Giri Bandhu Tea Estate, overturned by the Supreme Court in February 2024, to alleged embezzlement during major infrastructure projects, these allegations span land deals, airport construction, visa scams, and more.
But as these charges mount, Nepal is facing a deeper crisis, one that cuts through society. Tensions exploded this week when the government banned 26 social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and X, reportedly because they failed to register with new regulations. Nearly 16 people have died amid mass protests, mostly led by youth, demanding accountability, free speech, and an end to corruption. Curfews, police crackdowns with tear gas and rubber bullets, and army deployment have only escalated the turmoil.
Ministers Entangled in Scandals, While Nation Rages
Key figures within the Oli administration are also implicated:
Rajkumar Gupta, former Federal Affairs Minister, resigned following a leaked audio suggesting he accepted a large bribe in July 2025.
Balaram Adhikari, Minister for Land Management, is also tied to the same audio scandal.
A major visa-related extortion case unfolded after a CIAA raid at Tribhuvan Airport, implicating a joint secretary and igniting public fury.
The Pokhara International Airport project is under scrutiny as investigators have unearthed nearly NPR 14 billion misappropriated from Chinese-financed funds.
Meanwhile, discontent is rife. Voices calling for Oli’s ouster grow louder, and protesters drawn from all age groups are pushing back not only against censorship but blatant misgovernance.
From Social Media Ban to Democracy in Flames
Nepal’s social media ban has become a rallying cry. Protesters have taken to the streets in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and beyond. Many attempted to storm Parliament, triggering sweeping security responses. The ban itself framed by the government as a fight against misinformation, has been seen by critics as a tool to silence dissent and dilute public oversight amid growing scandals.
This moment is the sharpest flash of years of political fatigue. Power struggles, unanswered corruption, poor service delivery, and the rise of pro-monarchy sentiment have all fueled public outrage. Pro-monarchy protests earlier in the year reflected deep disillusionment in May, royalists demanded the return of the monarchy; in July, supporters celebrated the former king’s birthday, signalling rising nostalgia for stronger leadership.
Nepal’s political instability is nothing new, 13 governments since 2008, but this moment feels different. The merging of corruption scandals with social media censorship has pushed frustrated citizens, especially young people, to break the dam.
When Corruption Meets Repression, Democracy Dies
Oli once vowed he wouldn’t even “look at a corrupt person.” Today, his government stands accused of harbouring multiple corruption cases, land deals, airports, visa scams, and more while shutting down the digital public square.
Cracking down on social media at a time when voices are rising against corruption is, at best, tone-deaf; at worst, authoritarian. The result: a movement far larger than anyone expected, drawing in not just Gen-Z, but older Nepalis, fed up with broken promises and crumbling institutions.
Nepal’s democracy is at a critical juncture. Unless leaders act fast, honouring justice, transparency, and public freedom, Nepal risks watching its democratic gains unravel in its own hands.
