The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has filed a graft case against 18 people including three former secretaries on the charge of irregularities in the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.

The anti-graft body registered the case at a Special Court on Sunday.

Former secretaries Sanjay Sharma, Bhim Upadhyay and Gajendra Thakur have been named defendants in the chargesheet. All of them are former secretaries at the Ministry of Water Supply.

A total of 15 Nepalis including board members of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board Mukunda Prasad Paudel and Rudra Singh Tamang, executive directors Ghan Shyam Bhattarai, Ramchandra Devkota and Surya Raj Kandel and three foreigners including consultants have been named defendants. Tamang is currently the director general at the Department of Immigration.