New Constitutional Bench formed to hear pleas in Nepal

A new Constitutional Bench of the Nepal Supreme Court was formed on Sunday to hear a bunch of petitions against the May

22 dissolution of the House of Representatives after differences among justices over its composition delayed the crucial hearing, according to media reports.

The bench was formed by Nepal’s Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana on the seniority and expertise of the Supreme Court Justices.

The new Constitutional Bench includes justices Dipak Kumar Karki, Anand Mohan Bhattarai, Mira Dhungana, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada and the chief justice himself, The Himalayan Times reported.

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the 275-member House of Representatives on May

22 for the second time in five months and announced snap elections on November 12 and November

19 on the advice of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, heading a minority government.

Following the illness of Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, his successor justices Bhattarai and Khatiwada were included in the Constitutional Bench. Earlier, the hearing was affected due to a dispute in the formation of the Constitutional Bench. Chief Justice Rana had earlier picked justices Dipak Kumar Karki, Aanand Mohan Bhattarai, Tej Bahadur KC and Bam Kumar Shrestha for the bench to hear about 30 petitions registered against the “unconstitutional” dissolution, the report said.

As many as 146 members of the dissolved House, including Nepali

A CONTROVERSY erupted after a lawyer of Deuba raised questions over two justices picked as members of the Constitutional Bench given their previous decision on the case of reviewing the Communist Party of Nepal’s unity and registration.

● AS MANY as 146 members of the dissolved House, including Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, who had staked a claim to form the new government under Article 76 (5) of the Constitution, have also filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking reinstatement of the House.

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Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, who had staked a claim to form the new government under Article 76 (5) of the Constitution, have also filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking reinstatement of the House.

President Bhandari rejected the separate bids of both Prime Minister Oli and the Opposition alliance’s claims to form a new government, saying the claims were insufficient.

A controversy erupted after a lawyer of Deuba raised questions over two justices picked as members of the Constitutional Bench given their previous decision on the case of reviewing the Communist Party of Nepal's unity and registration.

After the justices under question — Tej Bahadur KC and Bam Kumar Shrestha — decided not to leave the bench.