KATHMANDU: Suspended Chief Justice (CJ) Cholendra Shumsher Rana, who was preparing to go to the Supreme Court today, has been confined at his home.
Rana said he was “stunned” to see some policemen outside his residence barring him from getting out from his residence.
Speaking to Khabarhub, the suspended Chief Justice Rana said that he was barred from leaving his residence in Baluwatar with the order from “higher authority”.
He said that while he was preparing to leave for the Supreme Court, the government deployed police by locking the gate of the residence and preventing him from leaving his residence.
The government has also deployed a large number of police personnel to prevent him from entering the Supreme Court.
Authorities have ordered to not allow Rana to enter the SC, sources said.
Rana said he should be able to attend his regular duty since the impeachment against him has been inactive since last night.
“Not allowing me to go to the SC is detention,” he said, adding that he would continue to remain the Chief Justice until December 13.
On February 13, as many as 98 lawmakers filed an impeachment motion against Rana.
Sub-section (6) of Article 101 of the Constitution and Sub-Rule 9 of Rule 161 of the House of Representatives Rules 2075 has a provision that the Chief Justice shall not be able to perform his/her duties after the impeachment proceedings have commenced.
Meanwhile on Saturday, a majority of the Impeachment Recommendation Committee lawmakers recommended the impeachment of the suspended Chief Justice Rana.
In the 11-member impeachment panel, six lawmakers from the ruling coalition favored the impeachment of Rana and passed a proposal on the basis of a majority.
Meanwhile, five members from CPN-UML and Loktrantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) differed from the majority on impeaching Rana.
The UML put forth an eight-point difference in the impeachment panel’s report. UML Vice-chair Bishnu Paudel, who is a member of the panel, said that the report of the impeachment panel could not be accepted as it resembled the intent of the alliance.
He asserted that a decision cannot be reached to impeach Rana as the investigation had not been fully completed.
The committee submitted its report to Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota last night.
Impeachment panel Chairman Ram Bahadur Bista was entrusted with the task of making the final decision to impeach Rana.
It has been said that the new parliament that will be formed after the November 20 election will take a decision on Rana’s suspension.
Bista said the committee will decide that the impeachment proceedings will be continued by the next parliament and continue the suspension, citing an example of India dating back three decades.
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