With Speaker’s lawyers concluding debate, petitioners’ reply debate begins

KATHMANDU, July 4: Legal practitioners, who pleaded on behalf of Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota, concluded their debate on the House dissolution case on Sunday afternoon. 

Five legal practitioners --- Meghraj Pokharel, Shree Krishna Subedi, Upendra Keshari Neupane, Lava Kumar Mainali and Shyam Kharel ----took part in the debate on behalf of Speaker Sapkota. 

They were allotted a couple of hours to present their arguments before the constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher. 

Following the conclusion of debate from the Speaker’s side, legal practitioners of the writ petitioners began their reply debate on Sunday itself. Senior advocate Raman Kumar Shrestha was the first to present his reply arguments on behalf of 146 members of the dissolved House including Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba. 

The plaintiffs now have two hours and two minutes remaining for the reply debate, which they are expected to consume on Monday. Shambhu Thapa, Badri Bahadur Karki and Harihar Dahal will plead in favor of petitioners on Monday. 

 Their debate will be followed by opinion to be presented by amicus curiae. The  bench will then issue its final verdict.