KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has demanded a written response from 20 lawmakers of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) regarding a contempt of court case.
A joint bench of Justices Binod Sharma and Mahesh Sharma Poudel issued the order on Tuesday, asking the lawmakers to explain why action should not be taken against them for contempt of court.
The case was filed by Advocate Anup Bhattarai, alleging the lawmakers of attempting to pressure the judiciary through public demonstrations, statements against the court, and incitement of public unrest.
The petition, initially dismissed by the court administration, was ordered for registration by Justice Binod Sharma.
Earlier, a preliminary hearing by Justices Manoj Kumar Sharma and Nripdhwaj Niroula had directed Bhattarai to submit evidence.
The case names several prominent RSP leaders and lawmakers, including Vice-Chairs DP Aryal and Swarnim Waglé, Bagmati Provincial Chair Dr. Achyutam Lamichhane, Acting Party Spokesperson Manish Jha, and lawmakers Sumana Shrestha, Toshima Karki, Sobhita Gautam, and others.
RSP leaders and supporters have been staging protests across various districts since Lamichhane’s arrest, which Bhattarai alleges is an attempt to disrupt the judicial process.
Comment