KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has issued an interim order barring seven non-MPs from serving as ministers.
A single bench of Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher JBR directed Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Industry, Commerce and Supplies Minister Lekhraj Bhatt, Urban Development Minister Prabhu Sah, Labor Minister Gauri Shankar Chaudhary, Water Supply Minister Mani Thapa and Sports Minister Dawa Lama to be relieved from their post.
Among the ministers leaving the post are those who have left the CPN (Maoist Centre) and joined the CPN (UML). Following the Supreme Court’s decision to separate the UML and the UCPN (Maoist Centre), these former UCPN (Maoist Centre) MPs had joined the UML without returning to the UCPN (Maoist Centre). Ministries held by former Maoist leaders have fallen vacant following a Supreme Court order.
Advocate Biraj Thapa and Advocate Kapil Dev Dhakal had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court saying that it would be unconstitutional to re-appoint a person who is not a member of parliament as a minister.
The constitution stipulates that a non-parliamentary minister must become a member of parliament within six months. However, the Supreme Court has stated that the re-appointment of those who could not become members of parliament even after becoming a minister is against the provisions of Articles (78) 1, 2 and 3 of the Constitution, the essence and spirit of the Constitution.
