The Supreme Court on Friday barred the Khagaraj Adhikari-led Gandaki Province government from taking any decisions with long-term consequences.

The interim order issued by the single bench of Justice Abdul Aziz Musalman has prohibited the government from doing any work other than regular tasks.

The bench was responding to a writ petition filed by immediate past chief minister Surendra Raj Pandey against the controversial vote of confidence taken by the chief minister in the provincial assembly on Sunday.

“An interim order not to take decisions with long-term consequences has been issued for now as the court, during a final hearing, will decide whether the position of the chief minister remains intact and what is the majority number determined by the constitution for appointing a chief minister,” the court said in the order.

The bench issued a show cause notice to the defendants, prioritised the writ petition and scheduled it for the next hearing on May 21.

On May 5, the Speaker of Gandaki provincial assembly declared that Chief Minister Adhikari secured the trust vote. Amid protest from the opposition party, Speaker Krishna Prasad Dhital announced that the votes obtained by the chief minister constituted a majority based on the Supreme Court’s recent ruling.

The announcement triggered yet another controversy regarding the majority number in the 60-strong provincial assembly.

A total of 30 members voted in favour of Chief Minister Adhikari. Then the Speaker claimed that the number was sufficient to prove the majority in the 60-member assembly.