Kathmandu, December 20

Although the Supreme Court today included two writ petitions against registration of the constitution amendment bill on its cause list, hearing on the petitions could not take place due to time constraints.

The petitions were at number 11 and 12 of the cause list in the bench of justices Anil Kumar Sinha and Prakash Raut. Hearing on the petitions have been rescheduled for Sunday as the bench could not take up the petitions today, according to petitioner Tikadhoj Khadka.

Khadka had filed the petitions demanding an order to settle the dispute over boundaries of provinces through the federal commission as mandated by the constitution and stay the proceedings on the constitution amendment bill registered by the government in the Parliament. The petitioner has argued that any move to change the boundaries of provincial boundaries would be against Article 274 of constitution.

Khadka said the bill seeking to change the provincial boundaries could be introduced in the Parliament only with the consent of state assembly of the concerned province, as per Article 274 of the constitution. “Since the state assemblies have not been formed yet, the amendment bill is unconstitutional,” said Khadka.