Supreme Court schedules full bench hearing on JSP-Nepal split case

Kathmandu. The Supreme Court has scheduled a full bench hearing for the case filed by Upendra Yadav, Chairman of the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal, against the split of his party. The hearing has been assigned to a full bench comprising Justices Hari Prasad Phuyal, Manoj Kumar Shrestha, and Til Prasad Shrestha.

Previously, a joint bench had ordered the case to be referred to a full bench, citing that it involved significant constitutional interpretation. The bench of Justices Hari Prasad Phuyal and Til Prasad Shrestha had issued the order for the referral.

After leaders including Ashok Rai left JSP-Nepal and applied to the Election Commission to register a new party, the Commission granted the registration. However, Yadav filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court, arguing that the registration of the new party based on the application of leaders who left his party was illegal.

Additionally, Yadav filed another writ petition in the Supreme Court demanding that the seven lawmakers who left his party be barred from performing their duties as members of parliament. Although the bench was assigned to hear both petitions together, the judges were unable to proceed due to time constraints. Previously, the court had issued a short-term interim order in favor of Yadav. Despite the issuance of that order during the first hearing, the Rai faction had provided a vote of confidence to the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'.