Govt cancels Sitaula’s hearing

Kathmandu, November 5

CPN-UML-led government today cancelled the parliamentary hearing of senior advocate Ram Prasad Sitaula, who was appointed member of the Judicial Council by the erstwhile Nepali Congress-led government. He was nominated to the post on June 8 and was reappointed on October 1 by then prime minister Sushil Koirala.

“Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers today sent a letter to the secretariat of Legislature Parliament informing that Sitaula’s parliamentary hearing had been cancelled,” said Sudarshan Kuinkel, assistant spokesperson for the secretariat.

Although Sitaula was appointed for four years, the UML-led government is preparing to replace him and thus it cancelled his hearing, said sources close to PM KP Sharma Oli. Sitaula told THT that he heard the news but had not been officially communicated about PM Oli’s letter to the Legislature Parliament Secretariat. He said he was nominated under the Interim Constitution for four years and then again under new constitution on October 1.

Asked about what he would do next, “Sitaula said, I have not received any information from the authorities, so I am not in a position to tell you anything.”

A lawyer close to the ruling UML said Oli’s move was designed to scuttle the attempt of a group of lawyers close to the NC, who were preparing to seek validity of Sitaula’s nomination from the President tomorrow. “If the President is made to speak on such matter, it could drag her into a constitutional controversy,” the source added.