KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday stayed the federal government’s decision to merge Sagarnath Forest Development Project with Timber Corporation of Nepal.
The constitutional bench of the apex court ordered to put the decision of the federal government relating to the conservation and management of the project made on June 6 on hold.
The constitutional bench comprising of Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana and Justices Deep Kumar Karki, Kedar Prasad Chalise, Meera Khadka and Hari Krishna Karki asked the defendants and plaintiffs to be present before the court for discussions.
On behalf of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment of the State 2 government, assistant soil conservation officer at the Ministry, Bechan Kumar Mahato, had filed the writ petition, making defendants to the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, Singha Durbar.
In the petition, Yadav had argued that the federal government was intending to take the Sagarnath Forest Development Project under its jurisdiction though there was the constitutional provision that State government had the rights to conserve and manage the national forests.
Comment