Nepal top court overturns Oli’s decision to dissolve parliament

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s top court on Tuesday ordered the reinstatement of parliament, dealing a blow to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli two months after he dissolved the House of Representatives and called for an early election amid squabbling within the ruling Communist party.

The ruling means Oli, who was elected in 2018 following his party’s landslide win in an election in 2017, faces a no-confidence vote once parliament re-sits.

Nepal has been in political turmoil since December when Oli made a sudden decision to call elections 18 months ahead of schedule amid the Covid-19 pandemic that has hit the tourismdependent economy hard.

Judges heard more than a dozen petitions challenging Oli’s move as unconstitutional and seeking the reinstatement of the House, which still had two years to run when it was dissolved.

Oli had defended his move, saying his rivals in the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) had not cooperated with the government in the appointment of officials to panels such as the national human rights and anti-corruption commissions. But judges rejected this and ordered that parliament be convened within 13 days.

“The House of Representatives is reinstated as it is able and competent to perform its work,” the court said.

“This is a victory of the constitution and the Supreme Court has fulfilled the popular aspiration for justice by restoring the parliament,” said Pampha Bhusal, a senior leader of NCP.

Oli’s lawyers said they would honour the ruling. “The parliament will sit within 13 days as ordered by the court,” Ramesh Badal, one of Oli’s lawyers, said.