Experts say statute draft is flawed

KATHMANDU: Constitutional experts have said there are several errors on various articles of the draft constitution and the document massive amendment.

At a discussion organised by the Constitutional and Legal Practitioners' Forum on the draft constitution here today, they said the draft has several errors from the Preamble to the concluding lines of the constitution.

Chairman of the erstwhile Constituent Assembly's Constitutional Committee, Nilambar Acharya, said, "The Preamble itself needs amendment. Other articles too need correction."

If the same draft is endorsed, the country would face crisis, he warned.

The base of socialism is not clear in the draft constitution, he said, adding that only a verbose constitution does not carry meaning.

Another expert and the Chairman of the Administrative Court, Kashiraj Dahal, termed that the draft constitution was like the policy and programmes of the government. Actually, the constitution should be precise, unambiguous, and comprehensible, he stressed.

Similarly, Nepal Bar Association's former President and senior advocate Shambhu Thapa stressed that legal practitioners should make political parties committed towards implementation of people's feedback on the draft new constitution.

Prof Dr Pitambar Sharma said flaws in the constitution draft were due to short preparation for the same on behalf of the political parties who felt a necessity of the new constitution only after the April 25 devastating earthquake.

Chairman of the Forum, advocate Chandrakant Gyawali, said the Forum is going to submit its feedback on the draft statute to the CA.

On the occasion, constitutional experts presented working papers on dictions in the draft preamble, preliminary definition, issues of citizenship, fundamental rights, constitutional president, federalism, constitutional rights, constitutional court, judiciary and political parties.