Thursday, January 15th, 2026

Cooling-off period controversy: Speaker seeks party nominations for probe committee



KATHMANDU: Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire has initiated discussions with major political parties to form a parliamentary investigation committee to probe alleged tampering in the Federal Civil Service Bill 2080, particularly concerning the ‘cooling-off period’ provision.

On Thursday afternoon, Speaker Ghimire held talks at his office in Singha Durbar with CPN-UML Chief Whip Mahesh Kumar Bartaula, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire, and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chief Whip Hit Raj Pandey. Deputy Speaker Indira Rana was also present at the meeting.

During the discussion, Speaker Ghimire proposed the formation of a committee in accordance with Rule 180 of the House of Representatives Regulations, 2079. He requested parties to submit their proposed member names, define the scope of the committee’s work, and suggest a time frame for the investigation.

All three major parties supported forming a parliamentary probe committee, agreeing that since the issue involves legislative manipulation, there is no need to seek the government’s position on it.

The parties committed to internal discussions and promised to provide feedback to the Speaker. They also agreed to finalize the proposal before the next House meeting scheduled for Asar 23, with plans to present it through the Business Advisory Committee.

Although State Affairs and Good Governance Committee Chair Ramhari Khatiwada had shared an oral update on the matter in Wednesday’s committee meeting, the Federal Parliament Secretariat confirmed that it has not yet received a formal notification.

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