KATHMANDU: The future of the long-awaited Federal Civil Service Bill has become uncertain after top bureaucrats mounted pressure on the government to scrap a provision requiring a two-year cooling-off period for retired officials before reappointment.
Sources say Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has shown signs of acquiescing to their demands, raising alarm within his own ruling coalition.
According to officials familiar with the matter, Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal, Federal Parliament Secretary Padma Prasad Pandey, and secretaries from various ministries have been actively lobbying to remove the clause.
Their efforts included direct visits to Baluwatar, where they reportedly pressed the Prime Minister to reconsider the restriction.
The cooling-off provision — which was unanimously endorsed by the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee — is intended to prevent immediate reappointments of recently retired bureaucrats to lucrative political or constitutional positions.
Proponents say it strengthens ethical governance and prevents conflict of interest; opponents argue it unfairly penalizes civil servants post-retirement.
Sources close to Baluwatar say PM Oli is open to revisiting or even withdrawing the clause, a move that could derail the bill’s parliamentary passage. The bill had been scheduled for discussion in the House of Representatives earlier this week but was suddenly pulled from the agenda.
This development has sparked concern within the Nepali Congress, a key coalition partner, which raised the issue with the Prime Minister directly during a meeting on Wednesday. Party insiders say Congress fears executive overreach and growing influence of the bureaucracy in legislative matters.
“This bill was passed unanimously by the committee after lengthy negotiations, including with ministers. Attempting to dilute or delay it now sets a dangerous precedent,” a Nepali Congress lawmaker told Khabarhub.
Critics warn that yielding to administrative pressure undermines both parliamentary authority and the principle of separation of powers. Lawmakers from across the aisle have called on the government not to cave to bureaucratic threats, some of which allegedly include mass resignations if the provision remains.
The delay has also raised questions about executive interference in legislative business, especially since the Speaker cited opposition disruptions to postpone the session — but when the House resumed, the civil service bill had been removed from the order paper entirely.
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