Supreme Court schedules hearing on Nepali Congress legitimacy dispute

Kathmandu. The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for the petition filed by the faction led by outgoing President Sher Bahadur Deuba against the Election Commission's decision to grant official recognition to the Gagan Thapa faction of the Nepali Congress.

The hearing has been assigned to a joint bench comprising Supreme Court Justices Sharanga Subedi and Nripadhwaj Niraula. Previously, the Supreme Court had declined to issue an interim order regarding the dispute over the official status of the Nepali Congress.

On 2082 Magh 6, a single bench of Justice Sunil Kumar Pokharel refused to issue an interim order and instead directed the Election Commission and other concerned parties to submit a written response. Following the submission of written responses by the Election Commission, the Nepali Congress party office, and President Gagan Thapa, the hearing date was set.

The legitimacy dispute within the Congress arose after the Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma faction convened a special general convention to elect a new working committee. Former acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka had filed the writ petition in court.

In the writ petition filed by Shrawan Kumar Shrestha, acting on behalf of Congress leaders Deuba and Purna Bahadur Khadka, the petitioners have demanded the annulment of the Election Commission's decision and the dissolution of the newly elected working committee, labeling it illegal.

The Deuba faction has consistently rejected the special general convention, arguing that it lacks justification given that the date for the regular general convention had already been set.