The Supreme Court on Monday issued an interim order directing the Election Commission (EC) to begin the process for registration of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Prajantantrik) led by Pashupati Shumsher Rana.

A bench of Justice Tej Bahadur KC ordered the EC not to implement its decision to summon all the 153 CWC members and 37 lawmakers of RPP to be present in its office to verify the signatures after questions were raised regarding authenticity of the signatures of 67 CWC members while registering the new party—RPP (Prajatantrik).

The SC decision has decided to uphold the signatures of the lawmakers and continue the party registration process.

The Kamal Thapa-led RPP, the fourth largest party in Parliament, split on August 6 over a dispute regarding joining the new government. The Rana faction submitted a list of 67 Central Working Committee members and 16 lawmakers to the EC while applying for party registration.

Rana had filed a writ petition at the SC against the EC decision to summon all the CWC members and lawmakers of the RPP citing it ‘illogical’. Rana-led RPP-Prajatantrik opined that EC should have invited only those signing the document.

On the other hand, RPP chair Kamal Thapa has accused Rana faction of forging signatures of RPP members in order to register the new party.