KATHMANDU: Speaker Devraj Ghimire has decided not to remove MP Goma Labh Sapkota from office, despite repeated requests from the Janamat Party, led by CK Raut.
This marks the third time Speaker Raut has sent a letter to the Parliament Secretariat requesting the removal of MP Labh.
However, Speaker Ghimire cited that the disciplinary action taken against her by the party was not legitimate and did not adhere to the provisions of the Political Parties Act.
In his letter to the Parliament Secretariat, Speaker Raut accused MP Labh of soliciting money from contractors and instigating discussions to split the party. MP Labh has denied these allegations.
Raut submitted an 84-page document to support the removal of MP Labh, but Speaker Ghimire questioned the validity of the Janamat Party’s claims.
The Speaker stated, “No action can be taken against anyone based solely on arranged documents; there must be evidence of wrongdoing.”
He further clarified that the application for MP Labh’s expulsion under Section 18 of the Political Parties Act, 2073, did not demonstrate any grounds for her removal.
The prerequisites outlined in Section 32, Sub-section (1) and Section 28, Sub-section (1) of the Act were not satisfied, and it was not evident that she had committed any offense warranting her expulsion from the party or her position as a member of the Federal Parliament.
Speaker Ghimire deemed the documents related to this action as not credible and found the notice issued under Section 34 to be legally flawed.
Additionally, Speaker Ghimire remarked that the actions taken against MP Labh caused her undue suffering.
The Janamat Party has persistently sought MP Labh’s removal, submitting letters to the Parliament Secretariat, but these requests were similarly denied by the Speaker.
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