Kathmandu, May 1

The main opposition CPN-UML has demanded immediate withdrawal of the impeachment motion registered in the Parliament against Chief Justice Sushila Karki.

The UML Standing Committee meeting today concluded that the impeachment motion was a direct interference in the judiciary guided by ‘prejudices and ill-intention’.

“Guided with the prejudices and ill-intention; the motion is a direct interference on the rule of law and independent judiciary,” UML Standing Committee said in a statement, issued by the party’s publicity department head Yogesh Bhattarai. “Our party strongly demands that it be immediately taken back.”

Spreading a shockwave within the political-judicial circumference; a total of 249 lawmakers of the ruling Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre had unexpectedly registered the motion in the House yesterday. As a fallout of the motion, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi tendered his resignation, while junior coalition partner Rastriya Prajatantra Party withdrew its support to the government.

The UML condemned the impeachment motion, dubbing it as registered in an authoritarian manner against a ‘fearless, capable and dutiful’ chief justice, read the statement.

Meanwhile, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli held a meeting with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and asked the latter to take back the impeachment motion.

He also told the PM that the motion was ill-intentionally registered just to take vengeance against the judiciary and escape from being unmasked and that the government itself was involved in producing fake documents regarding the appointment of Inspector General of Nepal Police, according to a source privy to the discussion during the meeting. The meeting was held at Speaker Onsari Gharti’s Secretariat in Singha Durbar.

According to a release issued by the PM’s Secretariat, Dahal urged Oli to move ahead with consensus on issues such as constitution amendment, impeachment motion, local level elections and the upcoming budget. The PM also reiterated that the forthcoming local level polls would be held on time.

Oli, on his part, asked Dahal to withdraw the impeachment motion as a first step towards creating an environment for the polls slated for May 14 and June 14. Dahal responded unenthusiastically to Oli’s call.

“The UML chairman urged the prime minister to withdraw the motion to create environment for elections,” the PM’s political adviser Chakrapani Khanal told The Himalayan Times.

The impeachment motion was registered just days before the final hearing on the case of appointment of new Inspector General of Police Prakash Aryal.

The Supreme Court was set to give its final judgement on May 2 on the Aryal’s appointment. He was promoted to the post of IGP recently. DIG Nawaraj Silwal had filed a writ petition against Aryal’s appointment in the apex court.

Separately, DIG Silwal is also facing a case for his alleged involvement in produce fake work performance evaluation sheets, which he had submitted to the Supreme Court.