4 ex-chief justices of Nepal face contempt for allegedly influencing sub-judice case
Jan 27, 2021
Kathmandu [Nepal], January 27 : While the hearing over Nepal's Parliament dissolution will soon be held in the Supreme Court, two separate cases of Contempt of Court have been filed against four former chief justice in an attempt to influence a sub-judice case on Wednesday.
According to The Kathmandu Post, advocates Lochan Bhattarai and Dhanjit Basnet registered separate cases against former chief justices Min Bahadur Rayamajhi, Anup Raj Sharma, Kalyan Shrestha, and Sushila Karki.
"Two separate petitions have been filed claiming that the joint statement by four former chief justices is an attempt to influence a sub-judice case," The Kathmandu Post quoted Kishor Poudel, a communication expert at the Supreme Court.
On January 8, the retired chief justices had made a joint statement saying that the Constitution of Nepal doesn't allow the Oli government to dissolve the House of Representatives.
The articles that have been cited for the dissolution of the House don't empower the prime minister to do so, the former chief justices said in the statement.
"Article 76 of Nepal's constitution does not have any provision for dissolving the House unless for the purpose of forming a Council of Ministers but the House of Representatives is found to have been dissolved by invoking articles which don't attract the move," The Kathmandu Post quoted the former chief justices as saying.
On Tuesday, two cases of Contempt of Court were registered against Oli for making disparaging remarks against legal practitioners.
This comes after Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the Lower House on PM Oli's recommendation on December 20. After dissolving the Parliament, Oli also proposed elections on April 30 and May 10, 2021, nearly two years ahead of the schedule.
