Butwal, October 28
A forgery case has been filed against five people, including Lumbini Provincial Assembly Speaker Tularam Gharti and Assembly Secretary Durlabh Kumar Pun.
Ambika Kafle, a Lumbini Provincial Assembly member from the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal (JSP Nepal), filed the case at the Dang District Court against the Speaker and four others. She claims that a disputed letter removing her from her post was forged and falsified.
The plaint, filed on Tuesday, also names as defendants Speaker Gharti, Assembly Secretary Durlabh Kumar Pun Magar, secretariat spokesperson Lokmani Pandey, and Assembly members Santosh Pandey and Ajay Kumar Jha.
Kafle claims the letter was prepared using the party’s letterhead, seal and office-bearers’ names without any official decision or authorisation from the party. She says she was removed from her post based on the letter.
Proceedings had been initiated against Kafle on the allegation that she violated the parliamentary party’s directive on voting confidence in Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya. In that process, the Provincial Assembly Secretariat issued a notice on September 24, declaring her seat vacant.
Kafle then went to the Supreme Court against that decision. On September 22, the court issued an interim order in her favour not to implement it. She has asked that the authenticity of the disputed letter be investigated, that those involved in the forgery and falsification face legal action, and that the document be declared invalid.
On August 17, JSP Nepal General Secretary Dr Surendra Kumar Jha had informed the party’s Lumbini Provincial Assembly members that they must follow the party’s directive in the confidence vote process concerning the provincial government, in line with the party’s decision.
After Santosh Pandey, Bhandari Lal Ahir, Adesh Agrawal and Hema Belwase KC violated the party’s directive and voted confidence in Chief Minister Acharya, the party expelled all four, stripping them even of ordinary party membership. The Provincial Assembly Secretariat was informed of this.
However, petitioner Kafle claims that the Speaker and the Provincial Assembly Secretariat acted without consulting the JSP Nepal leadership. She alleges that the move was intended to keep the government in power and that no action was taken against the four expelled lawmakers, demonstrating partisan conduct contrary to the dignity of their offices.
