New Delhi/News Desk। Acting Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has suffered a major setback in Nepal. The Nepal Supreme Court on 20 December quashed the decision to dissolve the House of Representatives of Parliament. Nepal Supreme Court has decided to reinstate the House of Representatives. Ordered to call Parliament within 13 days.
A five-member constitutional bench headed by Cholendra Shamsher Rana gave the verdict after a detailed study of the facts presented by all the parties. During a debate in the Supreme Court last Friday, lawyers appearing for the amicus curiae had said that Prime Minister Oli’s decision to dissolve the House was unconstitutional. Five senior lawyers had submitted their arguments in the court on behalf of the judge. During the hearing, a senior advocate Purnaman Shakya said that in the Constitution of Nepal, the Prime Minister of the country does not have the right to dissolve the Parliament. This is a constitutional matter, not a political one, so the court should intervene in it. While one member described the PM’s decision as unconstitutional, one member said that the house was dissolved with wrong intentions. However, one member said that the Prime Minister has the right to dissolve the Parliament.
Significantly, KP Sharma Oli had reached President Vidya Devi Bhandari on December 20 with a recommendation to dissolve the Nepali parliament. Thereafter there has been political instability in Nepal since the President approved it on the same day and dissolved the Parliament. Later in the ruling Nepali Communist Party (NCP), Pushp Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda and KP Sharma Oli came face to face. Prachanda faction had expelled KP Sharma Oli from the party. Acting Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli called a meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday morning. Strong protests were held across the country against Oli’s decision to dissolve the 275-member house.