KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 5

Speaker of the House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota has filed a writ petition at Supreme Court against the appointment of officials in constitutional bodies sans parliamentary hearings.

Speaker of the dissolved HoR file the petition at the country's apex court on Friday morning.

Listed as defendants in the writ are the President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Chair of the National Assembly, newly appointed officials of the constitutional bodies, among others.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led government, on Wednesday morning, conducted an oath taking ceremony for officials of different constitutional bodies.

Amid the ongoing political disturbance, chiefs of the constitutional bodies took the oath of office from Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana at Shital Niwas. Meanwhile, other appointees took their oath from chiefs of their respective bodies.

The appointed officials had been recommended by Constitutional Council's meeting held on December 15, 2020, after the government brought an ordinance to amend the Constitutional Council Act the same day.

Speaker Sapkota, on December 31, had returned the original files of the Constitutional Council that had requested the Parliament Secretariat to conduct parliamentary hearings for the office bearers of 11 constitutional bodies, including the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, Election Commission, National Human Rights Commission, Madhesi Commission, National Women Commission, National Dalit Commission and Tharu Commission.

Sapkota stated in his letter that parliamentary hearings could not be conducted as the HoR had been dissolved by the government. He said the recommendations were against constitutional provisions and the Supreme Court's precedents.