Six separate petitions have been registered at the Supreme Court (SC) against the ordinance issued by President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Wednesday making splitting of parties easier.
Advocates Pravesh KC, Arjun Kumar Aryal and Shakuntala Bhusal, Nivesh Lamsal and Anupa Aryal, Srikant Baral and others have registered six separate petitions against the ordinance at the Apex Court on Thursday.
"All of these petitions have been registered with the constitutional bench. Hearing on these petitions will be held by next Friday," SC Spokesperson Baburam Dahal told Setopati.
The constitutional bench of SC conducts hearing on Wednesday and Friday every week with the cases scheduled for final hearing listed for hearing on Wednesdays and the first hearing on Fridays. Dahal reasoned that there is no chance of these petitions being listed for hearing this Friday as there are already many cases piled up for tomorrow.
Advocate KC among the petitioners has demanded the decision to amend the legal provision about splitting parties through the ordinance be revoked pointing that serious legislations like that about splitting parties should not be brought through an ordinance evading the House.
The ordinance issued on Wednesday allows split of a party with support of just 20 percent in either the central committee or parliamentary party. The current act about political parties required support of 40 percent in both the parliamentary party and the central committee to split any political party.
The ordinance also made another amendment in the act about political parties removing the provision requiring at least three percent of votes through the proportional representation (PR) electoral system to be recognized as a national party.
The act earlier required a party to get at least three percent of votes in the PR system, and win at least one seat in the first past the post electoral system (FPTP) to become a national party.
