Kathmandu, July 5
A seven-member
special parliamentary committee is to be formed to investigate alleged manipulation
and irregularities in the cooling-off period provision of the Federal Civil
Service Bill, 2080.
The decision was
made during a meeting held on Saturday among the chief whips of various
political parties, and chaired by Speaker Devraj Ghimire. Chief Whip of the
CPN-UML, Mahesh Bartaula, confirmed the agreement to form the special
committee.
According to
Rule 180 of the House of Representatives Regulations, 2075, the special
committee will include two members each from the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML,
and one member each from the CPN (Maoist Centre), Rastriya Swatantra Party
(RSP), and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).
The committee
will be led by a representative from the Nepali Congress, according to Bartaula.
The names of the
committee members will be announced in the meeting of the House of
Representatives scheduled for Monday. The upcoming session of Parliament will
endorse the decision to form the committee, which will then be granted 15 days
to conduct its investigation and study.
The original bill tabled at the Parliament had a mandatory cooling-off
period for civil servants before they could enter politics or accept political
appointments after their retirement or resignation. But when it was passed, the
provision had been changed weakening it significantly by allowing the retired
civil servants to hold the public and constitutional posts.
The formation of the probe committee has come after the ratified bill drew
widespread criticism from the lawmakers, civil society and media.
The committee is expected to identify how the changes occurred and who
was responsible, and recommend corrective measures and actions.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 July 2025.
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