KATHMANDU: The hearing on the case against the appointment of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Vice Chairman Bam Dev Gautam as a National Assembly (NA) member did not finish today as well.
The hearing will continue at the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday.
A constitutional bench led by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana heard the case filed against Gautam’s appointment as a member to the NA on Friday.
The constitutional bench comprising Chief Justice Rana, Justices Deepak Kumar Karki, Hari Krishna Karki, Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha and Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada will hear Gautam’s case again.
Advocate Badri Raj Bhatta and Senior Advocate Dinesh Tripathi had filed writ petitions separately at the court after President Bidhya Bhandari nominated Gautam to the Upper House on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.
Earlier, the bench of Justice Ananda Mohan Bhattarai on September 23 had concluded that the writ petition filed by senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi will be settled by the constitutional bench.
In a bid to patch up the widening rift in the ruling NCP, a Secretariat meeting of the party had decided to nominate Bam Dev Gautam to National Assembly with assurances that he would be given a key portfolio in the cabinet.
Abiding by the party decision, the government recommended President Bidhya Bhandari to appoint Gautam to the Upper House. President Bhandari appointed Gautam to the NA in line with the government’s recommendation last Thursday.
Gautam had lost the general election held in 2017 from Bardiya-1 to Sanjay Gautam of the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC).
The petition demands revocation of Gautam’s appointment citing that the trend of appointing the people who failed to win people’s votes as lawmakers has defamed the Upper House and caused a decline of faith in the parliamentary system as well.
Petitioners have even pointed out that such practices are against the spirit of the Constitution.
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