SC show cause to govt, NHRC

Kathmandu, Jan 27-The Supreme Court today issued show cause notices to the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) demanding reasons on why they did not implement the recommendations of the NHRC regarding protection of rights.

A single bench of ad hoc judge Pawan Kumar Ojha issued the order following today’s hearing. The bench told the defendants to submit their written explanations within 15 days. He, however, declined to prioritise the case, as sought by the writ petitioners.

Advocates Bhoj Raj Air, Bhoj Raj Bhatta and a Lalitpur resident Pushpa Raj Pandey jointly filed the PIL seeking the apex court ruling to the government to implement the recommendations within the stipulated time.

The Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet and the NHRC were accused for not implementing the recommendations despite the NHRC Act 1997 vested liabilities to the government for the implementation of the recommendations of the rights body within three months.

The government did not implement 29 of the 33 recommendations of the NHRC during the fiscal year 2061/62 BS.

“Despite provision by Clause 13 of the NHRC Act 1997 that the government should implement any recommendation made by the NHRC within 3 months, the government did not implement them,” claimed writ petitioners. They also claimed that there is an urgent need to issue a mandamus order by the SC to the government to implement the recommendations.