The Supreme Court has summoned Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to submit a written response to a petition demanding he seek a vote of confidence and explain why the court should not issue an interim order.

A single bench of Justice Sunil Kumar Pokharel on Friday ordered the defendants, including the prime minister, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Speaker Devraj Ghimire, the Federal Parliament Secretariat, and the President’s Office at Shital Niwas, to appear in court within a week with a reasoned response.

The petition, filed by lawyer Birendra KC on Thursday, follows the withdrawal of support to the Oli government by the Janata Samajwadi Party, Nepal, on July 16. Petitioners said a month had passed without any action by the government, making an interim order necessary.

Under article 100 of the constitution, if the prime minister’s political party is divided or a coalition partner withdraws support, the prime minister must table a motion seeking a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives within 30 days. Sub-article (3) states that the prime minister must step down if the motion fails to secure a majority.

The Supreme Court, however, refused to issue an interim order during the first hearing.

Nirajan Pandey, spokesperson for the top court, said the order calls for defendants to appear in a hearing regarding the interim order request.