KATHMANDU: Civil society leaders have concluded that the directive given by the International Relations Committee (IRC) of the House of Representatives regarding Nijgadh International Airport is an interference in the independent judiciary.
Civil society leaders’ serious attention has been drawn towards the IRC’s May 30 directive concerning the airport, four days after the Supreme Court (SC)’s order to the government to halt the construction of the airport in Bara.
“The IRC’s directive to the government to resume construction work of Nijgadh Airport while remarking the SC’s decision was unjust has infringed upon right of the judiciary to dispense justice,” read a press release issued by civic leaders on Friday.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, former judges, human rights activists, among others, have appealed to leaders of political parties, people’s representatives and government officials to respect the dignity of the judiciary by upholding the principle of separation of powers and the values of judicial independence protected under the preamble of the constitution and its various articles.
Stating that healthy debates could take place regarding judiciary’s decisions, they deduced that it was, nevertheless, against the law to instruct the government to directly disobey the Supreme Court as the full text of the verdict was awaited.
The joint statement was signed by Former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana, former Chief Justice Anupraj Sharma, former Justice Balram KC, senior advocate Geeta Pathak Sangraula, human rights activists Charan Prasai, Kanak Mani Dixit, Taranath Dahal and Raju Prasad Chapagain.
A full bench of Supreme Court Justices Hari Krishna Karki, Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada, Prakash Man Singh Raut and Manoj Kumar Sharma had decided to overturn the decision of the Government of Nepal to construct Nijgadh International Airport in Bara.
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