Kathmandu, May 2:

The Constituent Assembly Court today summoned the Election Commission and a Nepali Congress candidate who was declared winner from Constituency No 5 of Parsa. EC has been directed to defend the charge of illegally declaring Rijal a winner, while Rijal has to defend the charge of wining the election in irregular manner.

A three-member bench of justices Anup Raj Sharma, Top Bahadur Magar and Ram Kumar Prasad Shaha issued the order following today’s hearing on case challenging Rijal’s win. The bench directed the defendants to attend the hearing on May 15, which will decide whether or not to issue a stay order against Rijal’s win.

The bench was responding to a case filed by Maoist candidate from the constituency, Chhetra Bahadur Shrestha.

Meanwhile, a separate case was filed today against Khovari Raya, the NSP candidate who was declared winner from Sarlahi-5. The petitioner claimed that hundreds of illegal ballot papers were found in the ballot boxes and Raya had captured many polling centres.

The case was filed by candidate of Tarai Madhesh Lokatantrik Party Jangi Lal Raya, who lost the polls as the nearest rival in the constituency.