India, Oct. 30 -- The corruption case against former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal over alleged irregularities in the Patanjali land deal has entered its final hearing stage, with the Special Court scheduling the final hearing for November 5.

As the hearing date approaches, the court has allowed Nepal to appoint a lawyer to appear on his behalf for routine court appearances.

The court accepted his request on Friday, granting him permission to appoint legal counsel. Nepal had filed an application on Wednesday, saying he would be unable to appear in person because he needed to travel outside the Kathmandu Valley for official work.

Parvati Hitan, information officer at the Special Court, said a bench comprising Chairperson Basudev Ach...