KATHMANDU: Hearing on the CPN-UML’s Chairman KP Oli faction’s vacate petition seeking annulment of the apex court’s decision to reinstate four defecting province lawmakers of Karnali Province, the Supreme Court has ordered both parties to appear before the court with their arguments.

A division bench of Justice Ananda Mohan Bhattrai and Hari Phuyal gave this order on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court had issued an interim order to reinstate UML MPs Prakash Jwala, Kurmaraj Shahi, Nanda Bahadur Budha and Amar Bahadur Thapa from Karnali on June 10.

Earlier, the CPN-UML General Convention Organizing Committee, formed by party Chairman Oli, had dismissed the four Karnali Province Assembly lawmakers for crossing the floor, and voting in favor of Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi on April 16.

The dismissed lawmakers had filed a petition in the court saying that the 10th general convention organizing committee could not take action against them as it was formed unilaterally by Chairman Oli.

The Supreme Court had delegitimized the General Convention Organizing Committee and issued an interim order for the reinstatement of the dismissed lawmakers.