KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday ruled that Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane did not regain Nepalese citizenship according to the law.
With this, Lamichhane has lost the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister as well as the Member of the Parliament.
The Constitutional Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki and Justices Bishwombhar Shrestha, Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Kumar Sinha gave the verdict.
After relinquishing his American citizenship, the court said that all the acts carried out by Rabi as a Nepali citizen would be illegal, saying that he had used the citizenship that had been revoked without regaining his Nepalese citizenship.
The verdict reads, “After giving up the US citizenship, Lamichhane was not found adhering to the legal process to acquire the Nepali citizenship again. So, he did not deserve to be the candidate of the member of House of Representatives nor could hold the lawmaker’s post.”
It further read, “With this, a certiorari order is issued as per Article 133 (b and c) and Article 137 of Constitution of Nepal by scrapping all activities as making Lamichhane an election candidate, announcing his election victory, and conferring him the certificate.”
With this decision of the Constitutional Bench, Lamichhane’s position as minister and MP has been canceled.
Similarly, he is also disqualified to become the Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party.
Even though Lamichhane’s position as Chairman of the RSP will no longer exist, the party will remain as apolitical party.
This is the first-ever historic decision by the SC regarding citizenship.
Advocate Rabiraj Basaula had filed a case against Lamichhane in the Supreme Court.
Lamichhane won the election held on November 20, 2022, with a huge margin from Chitwan.
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