Nepali Congress General Secretary Shashank Koirala has said that the judiciary should be brought under the purview of Parliament.

Talking to reporters in Biratnagar on Saturday, the leader of the largest party said that the judiciary should be brought under the ambit of Parliament by amending the constitution as the former unnecessarily encroached upon the jurisdiction of the executive in the appointment of the inspector general of Nepal Police (IGP).

Koirala’s remarks come at a time when the Supreme Court issued a show-cause notice to the NC and its President Sher Bahadur Deuba in a contempt of court petition. A single bench on Thursday ordered the defendants to furnish written clarification within 10 days.

The Congress Central Working Committee had concluded that the Supreme Court encroached on the jurisdiction of the executive in the IGP appointment case.

The apex court had quashed the government’s decision to appoint DIG Jaya Bahadur Chand as the chief of Nepal Police and directed the government to follow the merit basis for a new appointment.

“This [the verdict] is beyond the jurisdiction of the court,” said Koirala, claiming that Deputy Inspector General of Police Prakash Aryal would be appointed the new IGP soon. Asked about the prospects of Nawa Raj Silwal, who is said to be the most eligible candidate for the post, Koirala asserted that the government reserved the right to decide whom to appoint the police chief from among the DIGs.

In another context, Koirala charged that the CPN (Maoist Centre) was against holding the local elections on schedule. He claimed that the government had blown the issue of deputy prime ministers’ seniority out of proportion as it did not want timely elections.

Koirala warned that the country would be pushed into renewed conflict if the elections were forced against the will of the agitating Madhes-based parties. 

“Discussions are going on for bringing the Madhesi Morcha on board. They will participate in the polls,” Koirala claimed.