FNCCI VP election postponed following SC order

Kathmandu, September 3

The election for the post of vice-president (district and municipal chapter) of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), which was slated for Monday, has been postponed after the Supreme Court issued an interim order today directing FNCCI to halt the election for the concerned post temporarily.

FNCCI has been directed to appear in court within two weeks with reasons behind why Pramod Shrestha, who had been elected as vice-president in last FNCCI election, had been removed from post.

The Supreme Court’s order to this effect came during a hearing on the application filed by industrialist and former vice-president of FNCCI Pramod Shrestha against FNCCI decision to remove him from the vice-presidential post citing his involvement in politics.

The annual general meeting of FNCCI had elected Shrestha as the vice-president of FNCCI (district and municipal chapter) in April. However, FNCCI had decided to make concerned post vacant after Shrestha filed his candidacy in the first series of local elections against the mandate of FNCCI’s statute.

The FNCCI statute has a provision which states that any post in FNCCI executive committee will be vacant automatically if the person holding the post is involved in active politics.

However, Shrestha says FNCCI does not have any logical base to sack him from the post as he was not involved in direct politics.

Meanwhile, FNCCI officials have been saying that the decision to turn the post of vice-president vacant is under the mandate of the statute of the organisation.

“FNCCI statute has clearly mentioned that any post in the FNCCI executive committee will be terminated automatically if the person holding the post is involved in active politics. However, as the court has called us, we will appear before the court soon with our logic,” said Bhawani Rana, president of FNCCI.