Nepal SC hears petition against dismissal of parliament by Oli

Nepal: Nepal’s Supreme Court started hearing petitions challenging Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s dismissal of the parliament.

Oli’s calls for new elections, which have been scheduled for April 2021, have been identified unconstitutional by his opponents. The PM’s decision comes in the outcome of internal disputes in the party, which led to many protests in parts of Kathmandu – the capital.

Many have been asking for the resignation of Oli for his mishandling of COVID-19. “Hearing on 12 petitions upon the dissolution of parliament has begun,” said Bhadrakali Pokharel, who is a Supreme Court spokesman, as reported by Reuters.

Many lawyers believe that Oli had no legal grounds to declare dissolution of the parliament under the constitution.

“I have requested that the court issue an interim order against the dissolution,” Dinesh Tripathi, a lawyer and one of the petitioners, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

At least seven ministers have claimed that the dissolution goes against the “popular mandate” given to them during 2017 elections.

Nepalese PM Oli has lost support from inside his party – the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Many members have accused him of sidelining senior members, and of taking critical decisions without their presence.

Amid calls for resignation, Oli dissolves the parliament, claiming that his party members were declining to cooperate. He also added how new elections were the only way forward.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari passed the dissolution and set April 30 and May 10 as the dates for the next general election, a year before scheduled.

Nepalese people are continuously protesting for the monarchy in the country from the last few months.

Nepal political changes are from the last few decades, and the country has changed its constitution many times.

Political instability in a small country is a severe concern for the nation.

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