KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court (SC) has refused to issue a stay order to bar the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chairman Rabi Lamichhane from taking the oath as lawmaker.

The constitutional bench, consisting of Chief Justice Harikrishna Karki, and Justices Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada, Anand Mohan Bhattarai, Anil Kumar Sinha and Prakashman Singh Raut, refused to issue an interim order while hearing the writ petition questioning Lamichhane’s citizenship.

Advocate Yuvraj Basaula and advocate Yuvraj Bhattarai filed separate writs, demanding that the Lamichhane’s oath to the post of Member of Parliament (MP) should be stopped until the issue of citizenship is settled by the court. They demanded an interim order and  also argued that Lamichhane’s position as MP should be revoked.

The newly elected members of the House of Representatives are scheduled to take the oath of office and secrecy on Thursday.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s leader Pashupati Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, a senior member of the House of Representatives, is scheduled to administer the oath to them.

Rana is going to take oath from President Bidya Devi Bhandari today.