Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, January 20

Retired Supreme Court judge, Laxman Prasad Aryal today said the government was conspiring to invest the King with absolute power and shift the sovereignty vested in the people to the monarch by holding election in the present context.

Aryal said if the elections were held, sovereignty would shift to the King. “The royal palace wanted a fifty-fifty share of sovereignty while the constitution was being drafted, but was thwarted. Now, that old conspiracy has begun again,” he added. Aryal was speaking at a programme on Need of Parliament for Peace, organised by the People’s Pressure Group of Nepal Bar Association. He opposed the idea of election and claimed it would not be in the interests of the people or democracy. “Status quo is better than holding election,” he said adding, “There was no indication of a good turnout of voters if the government were to hold polls right now.