KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has once again postponed the hearing on a petition filed by former Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director Hitendra Dev Shakya, who challenged the appointment of Kulman Ghising to the post.
Shakya, who has been waiting for a verdict for four years, will now retire in five days without a decision on his case. The hearing was scheduled for Monday in the bench of Justices Kumar Regmi and Tek Prasad Dhungana but was not conducted due to time constraints.
This marks the 31st time his case has been deferred, despite 13 sessions of the court attempting to address it.
Shakya was appointed as NEA’s Managing Director for a four-year term by the KP Sharma Oli-led government on February 8, 2021.
However, after the formation of the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government in mid-2021, he was removed and replaced by Ghising, prompting him to file a petition against the decision.
Shakya has argued that he was unfairly replaced despite being senior to Ghising by six years. He had previously worked under Ghising’s leadership during his first tenure, but he believes reinstating Ghising for a second term while removing him was unjust.
Shakya’s term was initially set to expire on February 8, 2025. However, he was able to serve only six months before his dismissal. His petition has been heard by several justices, including former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana, but none have delivered a ruling.
With just five days left before his retirement, it is now evident that Shakya will leave office without ever receiving a verdict on his case.
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