KATHMANDU: Attorney General Ramesh Badal has argued that the President saved the face of the opposition by not disclosing the erroneous letter the opposition alliance submitted her.

Debating on behalf of the government in the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court Monday, Attorney General Badal said that the letter submitted to the President seeking appointment of Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister had many errors and correction marks on it.

“The president has protected the dignity of the opposition alliance by not disclosing the erroneous letter they submitted her,” he said, adding, “The letter has enough ground to be skeptic about the claims of the opposition as some names were handwritten, others computer typed and few crossed or omitted using tip-ex.”

Attorney General Badal stated that there are enough grounds to show that the paper was not first prepared to propose Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba for the post of Prime Minister.

Badal, the legal advisor of the government, defended the President’s move claiming the President had approved the dissolution of the parliament after seeing no possibility of forming a 76 (5) government as per the constitution.

During the debate, Attorney General Badal said that the decision would be taken by the President on the basis of majority.

Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana had asked Badal whether the president has to consider the principle or the basis for the majority.

Attorney General Badal replied that the President has to decide on the basis of the majority. “If such a basis is controversial or doubtful, then it is permissible for the President to reject it, ” Attorney General Badal said.

The defendants of the writ petitions filed against the dissolution of the House of Representatives have started presenting their argument from Monday. The defendants advocating for the government are assigned 14 active working hours for the debate.