The Supreme Court has ordered the government not to implement the decision to remove Kapil Acharya and Bhakta Bahadur Pun from the post of the board of directors of Nepal Electricity Authority until the next order.

Hearing on the writ petition filed by Acharya and Pun, a single bench of Justice Sunil Kumar Pokharel on Thursday ordered the authorities not to implement the ministerial-level decision to remove the petitioners from their positions.

They had mentioned the Office of the Prime Ministers and Council of Ministers; Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Dipak Khadka; Nepal Electricity Authority; and newly appointed directors Devendra Karki and Mahendra Bahadur Gurung as defendants in the case.

Minister Khadka appointed Karki and Gurung in the two posts that went vacant after the removal of Pun and Acharya on August 2. Karki and Gurung were also appointed on the same day.

Earlier, Acharya and Pun were asked for written clarification on July 30 as they took a firm stance that the industries that didn’t pay the outstanding dues for using the electricity facility through dedicated and trunk lines should be cut and not be connected until they paid the dues.

Minister Khadka relieved both of them the day they submitted their clarification citing that their answers were inadequate and not satisfactory.

They firmly stood against resuming electricity supply to the industries in spite of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s assurance to the industrialists that the public utility would resume the power supply to the industries despite the dues they owe to it.

The energy authority had cut off the power supply to Reliance Spinning Mills, Ghorahi Cement, Arghakhanchi Cement, Jagdamba Steel, Jagdamba Synthetics and Hulas Steel since July 9 for not clearing the due.

After constant pressure from Prime Minister Oli and the decision of the NEA Board, the power was resumed to the industries from July 24.