PM asks former justices to maintain dignity

 Kathmandu, Jan. 9

Prime Minister and Chairman of ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) KP Sharma Oli Saturday urged the former chief justices of the Supreme Court to maintain the dignity of the judiciary.

Addressing a meeting organised by Youth Association Nepal, he said, “People who had already held the responsibilities at the Supreme Court should abstain from threatening the court,” he said.

He said that it was not appropriate for people like the former chief justices to try to influence the court by unfair means and threaten it.

Four chief justices Min Bahadur Rayamajhi, Anup Raj Sharma, Kalyan Shrestha and Sushila Karki had issued a statement on Friday stating that the constitution had not given right for HoR dissolution.

“There is no provision for the HoR dissolution except for the formation of Council of Ministers in Article 76 of the constitution and the House was dissolved on the basis of an article which is inapplicable,” they said.

PM Oli said that he was forced to dissolve the House of Representatives as the government was obstructed in its business from the members of his own party.

“Leaders of the ruling-party obstructed the implementation of the constitution, tried to make the democratic institutions dysfunctional and did not allow the government to fill the vacant posts at constitutional bodies,” he said.

According to him, the government was obstructed from performing its jobs and making laws and regulations. The Parliamentary Committees also created hurdles for the government. “As the government couldn’t move ahead as expected, I announced the election so that the country could move ahead smoothly with fresh mandate from people,” he said.

He said that the fresh mandate had scared many people from his own party and those who are outside. He also claimed that some leaders of the party felt threatened from the good deeds of the government and orchestrated activities to remove him from the post of the PM.

PM Oli said that going to the people was not anti-democracy but not willing to go for it is. “We are democratic so we decided to go to people. We are for the implementation of constitution and development of democracy.”

He also claimed that the election would happen on the announced date.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 10 January 2021.