The Supreme Court issuing a stay order on two cases – Ncell tax payment and citizenship case – has been featured in all national dailies. News of Transitional Justice bodies still functioning without their chiefs has also been featured in some papers.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the front pages of national broadsheets:
Important
SC stays home ministry’s order to grant citizenship by descent
The Himalayan Times, Republica and The Kathmandu Post report that Supreme Court has, once again, stayed a Home Ministry circular to chief district officers to grant citizenship by descent to the children of those individuals whose parents are citizens by birth.
The order comes less than two weeks after the top court issued an interim order to stop granting citizenship by descent to individuals whose parents obtained citizenship by birth in 1997, under the recommendation of a committee led by Jitendra Dev.
A joint bench of Justice Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada and Sushmalata Mathema on Tuesday also decided to send the issue to the full court. Amid uncertainty surrounding the amendment to the Citizenship Act-2006, the Home Ministry had issued a circular to all the 77 chief district officers last month, telling them to grant citizenship by descent to individuals whose parents are citizens by birth.
SC orders govt not to collect dues from Ncell
Kantipur, The Kathmandu Post and Republica report that the legal battle between the tax authorities and Ncell and its parent firm, Axiata, over capital gains tax is set to prolong as the Supreme Court continued its interim order to the government to not collect the dues from the mobile company.
A joint bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Prakash Kumar Dhungana on Tuesday decided to continue the interim order issued by a single bench of Justice Bam Kumar Shrestha on April 25. The bench also decided to send the case to the full court. Another hearing will take place on June 4.
Appointment of TJ officials still in limbo
Republica reports that the process initiated to recommend officials of two crucial transitional justice (TJ) bodies has further prolonged after a committee formed to recommend office bearers of the TJ bodies said the applications from aspirants were incomplete.
Around half of the applicants have not submitted several crucial documents. Of the total 55 individual applicants seeking appointment in the TJ bodies—Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons—22 have not submitted their citizenship cards, according to officials. Furthermore, three of the five organisations recommending candidates did so without completing official and legal procedures.
Ignored
Irregularities continue at NAC
Naya Patrika and Nepal Samacharpatra report that National Vigilance Centre has said that there has been a lot of financial irregularities due to lack of discipline at Nepal Airlines Corporation. NAC has been hiring pilots from private airlines without being endorsed by its board. According to the NVC’s report, officials at NAC have offered pilots working at private airlines up to Rs 1.3 million per month to fly its aircraft.
Three families own 25 ropani land in Balwatar
Kantipur reports that over 25 ropani land in Balwatar is under the name of Shobakant Dhakal, Raj Kumar Subedi and Bhatbhatini Super Store owner Min Bahadur Gurung. Gurung has bought land for under his company’s name and his family. The three names are common in all the land sold in the area.
Industrialists say NEA charged them illegally
Arthik Abhiyan reports that industrialists on Tuesday accused the Nepal Electricity Authority of having billed them ‘illegally’ for the past three years for using regular electricity supply through dedicated feeders and trunk lines.
The state-owned power utility said that certain factories received electricity through dedicated feeders worth billions of rupees when the rest of the country suffered load-shedding. It said it was calculating the actual amount of the outstanding electricity bills. On Tuesday, three trade associations came to the defence of the industrialists and countered the utility’s charges, questioning the motive for billing them for such huge amounts. They claimed that the utility had even billed those factories that had not signed any agreements for regular electricity supply. The private sector representatives said that the claim made by the authority was ‘unacceptable’.
Interesting
PM to leave for Vietnam tomorrow
Gorkhapatra reports that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will pay an official visit to Vietnam and attend the United Nations (UN) Day of Vesak Celebrations on May 9-13. Vietnam and Nepal established diplomatic relations in 1975. The two countries are expected to bolster bilateral ties, including in fields such as economy, culture and tourism. The event’s theme is ‘Buddhist Approach to Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Sustainable Societies’.
18-month boy’s throat slit
Nagarik reports that an 18-month-old in Dhanisha has been killed after the killer slit this throat. Police say that Aryan Sah was found dead on Tuesday morning. He was missing since Monday evening. Police believe that his murder was an act of revenge.
Govt forms Electricity Regulatory Commission
Karobar and Arthik Abhiyan report that the government for the first time has formed the Electricity Regulatory Commission. The commission has five members and is led by former NEA Director-General Dilli Bahadur Singha.
