House endorses Regulations, ends nine-month deadlock
KATHMANDU: The Parliament on Sunday endorsed the Parliamentary Regulations, which was stuck in a row between ruling and opposition parties for around nine months.
After a nod from the main opposition Nepali Congress, the ruling parties' proposal that the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee (PHSC) be 15-member as per the new Constitution was passed with majority votes today.
The PHSC strength had been a major bone of contention between the ruling and opposition parties since the promulgation of the Constitution in September last year. The main opposition Nepali Congress wanted to retain the 75-member body as provisioned in the erstwhile Interim Constitution, arguing that only the new Parliament could form the 15-member PHSC.
The NC had agreed for the 15-member structure after the ruling parties agreed to resend the name of Ram Prasad Sitaula to the PHSC and endorse his name, sources attending fresh inter-party negotiations said.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had withdrawn the name of Sitaula, who was nominated Judicial Council member during the term of the previous Nepali Congress-led government, stating that the PHSC formed earlier did not exist any more as the Parliamentary Regulations were yet to come. Oli was of the opinion that the PHSC was yet to be formed as per the new regulations.
Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Oli and NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba had agreed to pass the Regulations to end the months-long deadlock surfaced in appointment at various constitutional bodies and Nepali diplomatic missions.
Although the Judicial Council nominated 11 justices for the Supreme Court three months ago, they have not been able to join work as their parliamentary hearing is yet to take place.
Parliamentary hearing for Acting Chief Justice Sushila Karki, who was nominated as chief justice, and 22 ambassadorial nominees have also not been conducted due to the same reason.
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