Officials recommended for different constitutional bodies by the Constitutional Council have been sworn in Wednesday without parliamentary hearing.
They have been sworn in amidst a program held at the Shital Niwas Wednesday morning, according to Bhesh Raj Adhikari, personal secretary to President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
Chief Justice (CJ) Cholendra Shumsher Rana administered oath of office and secrecy to chiefs of the constitutional bodies while the others were sworn in by chiefs of the respective bodies.
President Bhandari, Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli and National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timalsina were also present on the occasion.
The Constitutional Council after PM Oli dissolved the House on December 20 had announced that all the vacancies in constitutional bodies were filled before the House dissolution.
The Constitutional Council meeting on December 15 had decided to fill the vacancies. The meeting held hours after PM Oli unilaterally brought the ordinance with a provision that allows decision in the Constitutional Council with support of the majority of the existing members had recommended to fill all the vacant constitutional positions.
The decision was not made public immediately and revealed only after the House dissolution.
Speaker Agni Sapkota then sent back the recommendations saying hearing cannot be conducted as the House of Representatives has been dissolved.
National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timalsina then argued that speaker cannot send back the recommendations by the Constitutional Council except when ordered by the court.
"There is no legal provision for any body or official other than the two-third majority of the parliamentary hearing committee to reject or send back the recommendations by the Constitutional Council for hearing," Chairman Timalsina has said issuing a statement on Monday.
Prem Kumar Rai was recommended for the post of Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) chief. Former Nepal Police AIG Jaya Kumar Chand and Kishor Kumar Silwal were recommended as CIAA commissioners.
The then coalition government of Maoists and Nepali Congress (NC) under Pushpa Kamal Dahal had appointed Chand, who is close to NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, as IGP but the Apex Court had later revoked the appointment.
Senior advocate Ram Prasad Bhandari and Janaki Tuladhar, meanwhile, were recommended as Election Commission commissioners.
Similarly, Tap Bahadur Magar was recommended chairman of the National Human Rights Commission.
