Supreme Court Upholds Decision: 11 Lifetime Fellows to Lose Monthly Stipends from Nepal Academy

Following a Supreme Court order, 11 lifetime fellows who were receiving monthly stipends from the Nepal Academy (Nepal-Pragya Pratishthan) will no longer receive the allowance.

The fellows affected by the decision to halt double stipends for lifetime members, made during the council meeting chaired by Academy Chancellor Bhupal Rai on Falgun 11, 2079 BS, had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court.

Member Secretary of the Academy, Dr. Dhan Prasad Subedi, informed that the court's order on Chaitra 1 has led to the implementation of the court's directive and the Academy's decision. He stated that since the court has endorsed the Academy's decision regarding stopping double benefits for lifetime members, it will be implemented accordingly from now on.

Former Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Basudev Tripathi and 10 other lifetime fellows had filed the writ petition against the council's decision. The joint bench of Justices Manoj Kumar Sharma and Nripadhwaj Niraula dismissed the writ petition on Chaitra 1.

Those who will no longer receive double benefits include Dr. Tripathi, Prof. Dr. Chudamani Bandhu Regmi, Ganga Prasad Upreti, Prof. Dr. Yogendra Prasad Yadav, Tirth Bahadur Shrestha, R.D. 'Prabhas' (Rajeshwaridatta Chataut), Ashesh Kumar Mall, Dr. Dhruvachandra Gautam, Toya Gurung, Tulsi Prasad Joshi (Tulsi Diwas), and Shashibikram Shah.

The Academy had decided to stop the stipend for lifetime fellows who were receiving salaries/benefits or pensions from government service or bodies. Such lifetime fellows had argued that the honorarium they received was based on their academic contributions and should not be considered double benefits or remuneration. Ghanendra Ojha had also filed a writ petition against the Academy regarding the issue of not providing double benefits to lifetime members.