Kathmandu, June 30
The Supreme Court on Wednesday has registered a writ petition that demands 20 officials appointed at various constitutional bodies removed from the position.
Senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi, in his petition, argues that the president cannot appoint these officials without a parliamentary hearing. He has demanded that the court issue an interim order barring the officials from work until a final verdict on the case.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari had appointed the officials on June 24 as per a recommendation from the government.
A meeting of the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led Constitutional Council held on May 9 had recommended the names for these positions.
The constitution has it that the officials are appointed after a hearing by the Parliamentary Hearing Special Commission. However, the appointment has been made without the hearing as Oli dissolved the House of Representatives on May 22.
Further, the government had issued an ordinance to facilitate the council meeting amid differences of its members including Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota and the main opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba. Opposition parties and legal experts had opposed the ordinance. Several writ petitions are pending at the Supreme Court against the law.
