KATHMANDU, JANUARY 2
The Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday issued an order directing the Election Commission (EC) to make arrangements to ensure the representation of people with disabilities in the House of Representatives (HoR) elections.
A division bench comprising Justices Hari Prasad Phuyal and Tek Prasad Dhungana issued the verdict, mandating the inclusion of people with disabilities in the closed lists submitted by political parties.
The SC stated that political parties submitting their closed lists for the proportional representation system must include persons with disabilities in accordance with the Constitution. The Court also directed the EC to reexamine the closed lists, verify the inclusion of persons with disabilities, and ensure their participation if any party fails to comply with the constitutional provision.
The writ petition was filed by Madhav Prasad Chamlagain, former lawmaker Prakash Pantha, and other activists, demanding the rightful representation of people with disabilities in the HoR.
According to the recent National Population and Housing Census, the country has 647,744 persons with disabilities, accounting for 2.2 percent of the total population.