Nepal Army Axes Colonel Direndra Kumar Malla

Colonel Direndra Kumar Malla of the Nepal Army has been dismissed from service following findings of discrepancies in his academic certificates. The decision was handed down by a Summary General Court Martial on Tuesday, which concluded that Colonel Malla had misrepresented his date of birth. Despite the dismissal, Nepal Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Gaurav KC clarified that Colonel Malla remains eligible to rejoin the service in the future.

Colonel Malla, who served as the military attaché at Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, was summoned to Kathmandu by the army headquarters after a complaint surfaced regarding his birth date. A subsequent court inquiry was launched, leading to the decision to dismiss him from his position.

In response to this incident, the Nepal Army has initiated broader scrutiny into similar discrepancies among other military officials. While recent recruitments reportedly show no irregularities, older records indicate instances of tampering with documents to alter dates of birth. An internal team has been tasked with investigating these matters, underscoring the army’s commitment to upholding transparency and integrity within its ranks.

This development follows a similar case from last year when Major General Tara Dhwaj Pandey resigned under pressure due to similar discrepancies in his academic certificates. The army headquarters has reaffirmed its vigilance in addressing such issues, signaling a stringent stance against any form of document fraud among its high-ranking officers.