Kathmandu, April 4

Hearing on the contempt of court case against the ruling Nepali Congress and the party President Sher Bahadur Deuba has been put off for Thursday.

A preliminary hearing of the case was expected to be held today. The Supreme Court, however, postponed the hearing.

The hearing of the case has been put off for Thursday as tomorrow is a public holiday, informed Advocate Hari Mainali, who had filed a writ petition on Sunday.

Mainali had moved the Supreme Court claiming that the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee’s decision last week had violated the apex court’s March 21 order.

Likewise, the petitioner said that NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s reaction to the appointment of the new IGP was disrespectful of the court.

Deuba had reportedly said in Biratnagar that appointing a new IGP was the job of the government.

On March 21, the Supreme Court had revoked the government decision to appoint DIG Jaya Bahadur Chand to the post of IGP.

The NC on March 28 had commented that the SC decision was ‘an intervention in the jurisdiction of the executive.’

The sixth point of the decision of the Nepali Congress’ three-day Central Working Committee meeting had termed the Supreme Court’s order as ‘against the principle of separation of powers’.

Earlier, Deuba was rumoured to have exerted undue pressure on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi to appoint Chand as IGP even if it meant breaking away with the tradition of appointing the senior-most officer to the post.

The NC leader, however, had denied the charge.