Ramhari Khatiwada, chair of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the lower house, resigned from his post on Tuesday, saying he valued public trust more than his position, amid controversy over the tampering of a ‘cooling-off period’ provision in the Federal Civil Service Bill.

Addressing the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Khatiwada said a parliamentary special committee formed to investigate the matter had not found him personally guilty. However, he decided to step down so as to set an example of political integrity.

The controversy centres on a clause that prohibits retired or resigned civil servants from taking constitutional or government appointments for two years. The committee had unanimously passed the provision, but it was later watered down during the bill’s final drafting—an alteration that effectively nullified its impact.

Khatiwada claimed his committee faced intense pressure from the bureaucracy when passing the bill, alleging that senior officials, including Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, lobbied top political leaders to overturn the provision. But he admitted the committee had failed to spot the altered text before endorsement, calling it a personal shortcoming.

“I want my name to be recorded in history as someone who valued integrity in politics,” Khatiwada told Parliament. “The committee endured great hardship during the passage of this bill, and we all saw the games of pressure and power at play.”

During his tenure as the parliamentary committee head, Khatiwada said, the committee had successfully passed several important bills. However, the ‘cooling-off period’ episode, and the special committee’s conclusion that he should bear political and moral responsibility, had prompted his resignation.

The special committee led by Nepali Congress lawmaker Jeevan Pariyar had also held the committee secretary, Suraj Kumar Dura, responsible for the error.