The apex court refused to stay the appointments
KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 7
The Supreme Court today issued a show cause notice to the government for making appointments to 11 constitutional bodies bypassing parliamentary hearings.
A single bench of Justice Prakash Kumar Dhungana issued the notice in response to the case filed by Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota against the appointment of office bearers in different constitutional bodies. The apex court refused to stay the appointments.
It has, however, listed the case for priority hearing.
Sapkota has named the president, prime minister, chief justice, chair of the National Assembly, and the newly appointed officials of the constitutional bodies defendants in the case.
The Constitutional Council had recommended the names of appointed officials in a meeting held on December 15 after the government brought an ordinance to amend the Constitutional Council Act the same day.
On January 31, Speaker Sapkota had returned the original files of the Constitutional Council that had requested the Parliament Secretariat to conduct parliamentary hearings for the office bearers of 11 constitutional bodies, including the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, Election Commission, National Human Rights Commission, Madhesi Commission, National Women Commission, National Dalit Commission, and Tharu Commission.
He said the Constitutional Council meeting that made recommendations for appointments to 11 constitutional bodies was not valid and the decision should be quashed by the court.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 8, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
