The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to issue an interim order
on the cases filed by CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli against Speaker Agni Sapkota and the Election Commission and instead asked the defendants to submit original documents regarding the charges made against them.
The UML on August 17 had expelled 14 of its lawmakers, including Madhav Kumar Nepal, and written to the Parliament Secretariat to issue a notice in that regard. Speaker Sapkota, however, ignored the letter.
On August 26, Nepal decided to split from the UML, aided by an ordinance issued by the government, and formed CPN (Unified Socialist).
The UML took umbrage at the Speaker for not issuing the notice, an action the party believes facilitated the split. On the 13th day since the UML notified the Parliament Secretariat about the expulsion of the 14 lawmakers, Sapkota on August 29 in a statement said that there was no need to issue a notice because the lawmakers in question had already registered a new party.
The UML also has argued that the Election Commission failed to abide by the existing laws while agreeing to register a new party by lawmakers who were expelled days ago.
In their order, Justice Deepak Kumar Karki and Kumar Chudal, have asked for original files of the decision taken by the Election Commission and the Speaker.
The UML had decided to expel 14 of its lawmakers months after 28 lawmakers of the party absented themselves from the May 10 voting when Oli had sought a vote of confidence in the House.
Oli had filed the petitions on September 2 against the Speaker and Election Commission.
With no decision by the court yet, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s plan to expand his Cabinet is likely to be delayed, as the CPN (Unified Socialist) has been requesting him to wait until the case is settled. Deuba’s Cabinet decision is also constrained by the Janata Samajbadi Party, yet another coalition partner, which is demanding that the ordinance be withdrawn.
6.12°C Kathmandu
