Opposition alliance files writ petition demanding House restoration, Deuba’s appointment as PM

146 lawmakers sign in the petition 

KATHMANDU, May 24: An alliance of opposition parties including a dissident faction of the ruling CPN-UML has filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court (SC)  demanding the restoration of the House of Representatives (HoR) and appointment of Sher Bahadur Deuba as the new prime minister. 

President of NC Sher Bahadur Deuba, Chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, senior leader of UML Madhav Kumar Nepal and Chairman of Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Upendra Yadav among others reached at the apex court on Monday afternoon and submitted the writ petition. The petition signed by 146 members of the lower house of parliament, which was dissolved on May 22,  was registered at the apex court on Monday itself, according to Kishor Poudel, the media expert for the court. 

President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved parliament at the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, as per the Article 76 (7) of the Constitution of Nepal. Earlier, Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba laid a claim for a new government with the support of 149 lawmakers as  the President had called upon the members of the lower house of parliament to stake their claim for the new government formation as per Article 76 (5). Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who had opted not to take a trust vote in parliament as per Article 76 (4), also staked a claim for a new government. President Bhandari, however, rejected both the claims. 

The petitioners claimed that the PM KP Oli-led government does not have a legitimacy to remain in power as the president had already called the MPs for new government formation. 

The opposition alliance has demanded that the court issue an order appointing Deuba as the prime minister.