Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara has resigned on Tuesday following allegation of raping a woman working at the federal parliament secretariat on Sunday.
He sent a letter addressed to Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe from his residence Baluwatar Tuesday afternoon offering to resign with immediate effect. "I have resigned on moral grounds effective from today till the investigation process is completed to facilitate fact-based, fair and independent investigation following allegations of different media outlets since yesterday raising serious questions about my character," the resignation letter issued in capacity of speaker reads.
The ruling CPN earlier on Tuesday asked him to resign from the position of both lawmaker and speaker following rape allegation. But he has not specified whether he has also resigned from the position of lawmaker. He was elected to the House of Representatives (HoR) from Dang-2 in the last general election.
The emergency secretariat meeting held at the prime minister's (PM) residence in Baluwatar in the afternoon asked Mahara to resign. "The party has decided that Mahara should resign from speaker and lawmaker to facilitate investigation," CPN Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha said after the emergency secretariat meeting.
PM and CPN Chairman KP Sharma Oli earlier discussed the issue with another Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Speaker Mahara has been accused of raping a woman working at the federal parliament secretariat on Sunday.
The woman has claimed an inebriated Mahara reached her rented apartment in Tinkune with a bottle of whiskey when there was no one else in the apartment Sunday night and raped her.
