SC Show Cause to EC, Calls It to Attend Hearing on Feb 20

Kathmandu Feb 7-The Supreme Court (SC) issued a show cause notice to the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday concerning the legitimacy case of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). The SC also directed the EC to attend the hearing on February 20 to discuss on whether or not to issue an interim order on the issue.

A divisional bench of Rajendra Kumar Bhandari gave the orders today after the pleadings of senior advocates Krishna Prasad Bhandari and Bishnu Kanta Mainali, along with the Bar Association President Shambhu Thapa, advocate Bachhu Singh Khadka, including others.

Pleading on behalf of the petitioner--the RPP faction led by Pashupati Shamsher Rana—they argued that the special general convention called by the individuals already been expelled from the party was illegitimate and, hence, any decision taken by the illegitimate faction was void in itself.

Rana had filed the writ petition at the SC to save his party emblem after the party’s dissident faction declared Home Minister Kamal Thapa as the new president of the party in the special convention on January 10.