Kathmandu: The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday conducted a preliminary hearing on the writ petition filed against the formation of the present government and the dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR). The bench denied an interim order as demanded by the petitioners but sought a written response from the defendants, including the Office of the President, seeking reasons why the interim order could not be issued against government formation and HoR dissolution. A week’s time is given by the court to furnish the written responses.
According to National News Agency Nepal, nearly one and a half dozen writ petitions were filed against the formation of the interim government and HoR dissolution, making defendants to various sides, including the Office of the President. On behalf of the petitioners, senior advocates and advocates argued that the formation of the government by inducting former Chief Justice Sushila Karki and former Supreme Court judge Anil Kumar Sinha was against the constitution.
Senior advocate Tikaram Bhattarai, former Chairman of Nepal Bar Association Gopal Krishna Ghimire, and advocate Khamma Bahadur Khati pleaded that the government was unconstitutional and it must not make decisions with long-term implications. The constitutional bench comprising Chief Justice Prakashman Singh Raut, justices Sapana Pradhan Malla, Kumar Regmi, Hari Prasad Phunyal, and Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma conducted the hearing on Wednesday.