Anushka Mansharamani
The constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana will hear the petitions that challenged Prime Minister K P Sharma’s abrupt dissolution of the Parliament amidst the struggle between the ruling of the Nepal Communist Party and the wrest control of the party.
The bench comprised Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, Justice Tej Bahadur KC, Justice Anil Kumar Sinha, and Justice Hari Krishna Karki.
Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher, along with the bench, would pass the judgment on the move of dissolving 275 members of the House of Representatives and the Lower House of the Parliament.
13 writ petitions were filed in the top court about the government’s decision of dissolving the Parliament.
During the previous hearing that took place on 23rd December, Senior lawyers contended that the Prime Minister had no right to dissolve the House of Representatives.
The right to dissolve the House would be there as long as there was a possibility of a formation of an alternative government.
Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has scheduled a meeting in the evening on 25th December to re-allocate the cabinet after the resignation of 7 ministers that took place who were close to the Prachanda-led faction.
K P Sharma Oli’s cabinet currently has 18 members comprising ministers of state and other ministers.
On 24th December, Chinese ambassador Hou Yanqi met the Nepal Communist Party’s executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, who asserts to be in control of the ruling party.
On 24th December itself, K P Sharma Oli announced the removal of Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda from his post.
Previously the Prachanda-led faction elected Pushpa Kamal Dahal as their parliamentary leader.
A political crisis took place after Bidya Devi Bhandari, the President of Nepal, dissolved the House of Representatives and on the recommendation of the Prime Minister declared dates for mid-term elections.
Following the announcement, protests took place by various parties, including the Nepali Congress and a part of the ruling party too.
The ruling party was virtually divided 2 years after the merger between CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre took place in 2018.
Following the merger and formation, the two divided parties are making efforts to retain the official party recognition and the symbol.