KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has formed a constitutional bench to hear on the case demanding the termination of Bamdev Gautam’s appointment as a member of the National Assembly.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s appointment of Gautam to the National Assembly was challenged in the apex court.
In response to a writ petition demanding the annulment of the appointment, the apex court last week decided to set up a constitutional bench to examine and settle the dispute around the appointment.
The five-member constitutional bench led by Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana includes justices Biswombhar Prasad Shrestha, Deepak Kumar Karki, Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada and Hari Krishna Karki.
The Constitutional Bench will issue its verdict after hearing from both petitioner and defendants. Claiming that Gautam’s appointment to the National Assembly member was against the constitution, advocates Dinesh Tripathi and Badri Raj Bhatta had filed a writ petition to the Supreme Court making the Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, chairman of the National Assembly, the Nepal Communist Party and Gautam as defendants.
Earlier last week, a single-bench led by Ananda Mohan Bhattarai had ordered the government and the National Assembly to not hand Gautam any additional role until the case is settled through the constitutional bench.
