Govt to appeal to SC for terms relaxation

KATHMANDU, MAY 26 - Citing insufficient time and other constraints for appointing 26 Constituent Assembly members, the ruling coalition on Sunday agreed to appeal to the Supreme Court to review its verdict and provide more time for the nominations.

Meetings of the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML decided to seek a deadline extension but the ruling parties were undecided whether they want the order reviewed in its entirety. The apex court on May 13 ordered the government to fill the 26 CA vacancies within 15 days.

The idea to request the apex court was first discussed at a meeting of the Nepali Congress office bearers on Sunday evening. The NC leadership’s decision was conveyed to the CPN-UML top brass through Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bamdev Gautam. When Gautam conveyed the message to his party, it okayed it immediately, said Prime Minister Sushil Koirala’s Press Coordinator Prakash Adhikari.

The major parties were in a fix after the apex court directed the government to exclude in the nominations those contesting the November 19 election or the proportional representation candidates.

On the government’s behalf, Attorney General Baburam Kuwar will plead the apex court to provide some more time for the parties citing the government’s business with other important tasks. “We will decide on Monday as to how many days we need to appoint lawmakers,” said NC Joint-secretary General Purna Bahadur Khadka.

The appointments have been a pressing concern six months after the election and the apex court deadline with some parties preparing to appoint some leaders that were defeated in direct polls or did not make it to the final proportional list.

“The NC, Maoist and Madhes-based parties were set to appoint some leaders who lost the election. Since they cannot do it, they need to review the process,” said a leader. “PM’s India visit that begins on Monday also justifies the need for extra time.”

Another apex court consideration that the parties wish for is relaxing the strict verdict on the nomination criteria.

Koirala’s India visit, internal bickering in the UCPN (Maoist) and ill health of some senior UML leaders have been blamed for the delay. Work on the appointments is said to resume once Koirala returns from India.