KATHMANDU, MARCH 2
Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Dilendra Prasad Badu has said that the government will seek to initiate debate on the impeachment motion filed against Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana in the next meeting of the House of Representatives scheduled for March 6.
Talking to mediapersons at the Parliament building, Minister Badu said the government would seek debate on the impeachment motion against CJ Rana in the next House meeting and the House could form a probe committee with the consent of all sides.
"In accordance with the House regulation, a debate can start on the impeachment motion after seven days from the date of filing of the impeachment motion," Badu said.
The ruling alliance lawmakers had filed an impeachment motion against CJ Rana on February 13.
Badu said the House could debate the impeachment motion, and if it deemed appropriate, proceed with the motion, or, it could send the motion back to the probe committee, which would further investigate the issue within a period of three months, following which the probe committee would submit its report again to the HoR.
Badu hoped that the main opposition CPN-UML would soon end its obstruction in the Parliament.
"Obstruction of House proceedings over an issue sub-judice in the court is not appropriate," Minister Badu said and added that people's issues should be debated in the House.
Badu wants the CPN-UML to take part in the impeachment motion debate.
The main opposition has, however, condemned the government's move of filing the impeachment motion against the chief justice.
Meanwhile, Nepal Bar Association, which has been protesting at the Supreme Court against the chief justice seeking his resignation, issued a press release today appealing to all the lawmakers to pass the impeachment motion filed against CJ Rana.
Meanwhile, Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota postponed today's HoR meeting till March 6 after CPN-UML lawmakers continued their obstruction in the House.
The CPN-UML has accused Speaker Sapkota of bias in his refusal to confirm the expulsion of 14 UML lawmakers, including the CPN (US) Chair Madhav Kumar Nepal.
The UML has said that it will end the House obstruction only if the speaker confirms the expulsion of the 14 lawmakers or the Speaker resigned from his post.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 3, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
