Kathmandu, January 24:

A contempt of court case was brought to the Supreme Court today accusing the Prime Minister’s Office, Cabinet and the Home Ministry of “disrespecting” the judiciary while forming a three-member probe panel headed by Appellate Court Judge Janardan Bahadur Khadka to probe recent killings in Lahan.

However, Registrar of the SC, Dr Ram Krishna Timalsena, said: “I will decide whether or not to accept the case tomorrow.”

Producing the case in the SC, advocate Binod Karki accused the government and Home Minister KP Sitaula of trying to cover up the inability of the government by forming the panel. Claiming that people were killed just because of the Home Minister’s inability, he accused the government of assigning Judge Khadka without taking permission from Judicial Council.

“As this is a contemptuous act of the government, the Supreme Court should take it seriously,” the advocate claimed.

“As per Article 110 of the Interim Constitution of Nepal 2007, such a panel can be formed only after getting permission from the Judicial Council,” he claimed. The petitioner also claimed that the government had assigned Judge Khadka to investigate the incidents, though Khadka was not interested to work in the panel.