Chairman of the National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timilsina has objected to the decision of Speaker Agni Sapkota to send the recommendations of the 11 constitutional bodies back to the Constitutional Council saying that Sapkota had no authority to take that decision without consulting him.

On Sunday, Speaker Sapkota had decided to send the recommendations back to the secretariat of the Constitutional Council citing eight grounds including that the Parliamentary Hearing Committee ceases to exist with the dissolution of the House of Representatives.

A meeting of the Constitutional Council held on December 15, headed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, had recommended 38 office-bearers for 11 constitutional bodies, including the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the National Human Rights Commission. However, only three of the five existing members—Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana in addition to Oli and Timilsina—had been present at the meeting.

A petition has been filed at the Supreme Court demanding scrapping of the decisions of the December 15 meeting.

“Sunday’s decision of the Speaker to return the recommendation of constitutional appointments has drawn [my] serious attention,” said Timilsina at a press meet at the premises of the Federal Parliament in New Baneshwor. “Especially his statement that the inherent right to protect sovereignty was bestowed upon him.”

Timilsina, who is considered close to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, said all the decisions of the proper authority that come to Parliament are properties of both the houses.

“I would like to inform everyone that there is no involvement of the National Assembly in the wrong process of the Speaker to return the recommendations,” Timilsina said. “I object to the unilateral decision of the Speaker to return the letters violating the existing work procedure regulation when they were duly registered at the secretariat of general secretary of the Federal Parliament and secretary of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee before the House was dissolved.”

In Sunday’s letter, Speaker Sapkota had stated that he was using his inherent right to return those documents to the secretariat of the Constitutional Council.

“It is my responsibility and duty to protect and promote the House as per Article 2 of the Constitution,” reads the statement. “Since the House has been dissolved, as a leader of that body to protect the sovereignty of the people it is my responsibility to employ the inherent right that has been bestowed upon me.”

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee is one of the two joint committees —the other being the Committee for Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Directive Principles, Policies and Obligations of the State—which are constituted by the members from both the houses.

“Our Federal Parliament is bicameral where the roles of both the Houses are equal. But the Speaker's letter on Sunday gave an impression that there is no existence of the National Assembly,” said Timilsina at the press meet he organised. “Therefore, I had to make it clear.”

He said the decision was taken by the Constitutional Council meeting in his presence and was duly sent to the Parliamentary Hearing Committee for the vetting process.