CPN-UML is preparing to register an impeachment motion against four Supreme Court (SC) justices.
A secretariat member confided that the main opposition party is preparing to lodge impeachment motion against the four justices to counter registration of one by the ruling coalition against Chief Justice (CJ) Cholendra Shumsher Rana on Sunday.
"There are views in the party that we should also counter. But we have yet to confirm the number of justices who should be impeached," the secretariat member told Setopati. "We will further discuss about the issue during the parliamentary party meeting on Monday. A conclusion will be reached from there."
Leaders opined that Justices Deepak Kumar Karki, Meera Khadka, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada and Dr Ananda Mohan Bhattarai should be impeached during the party's secretariat meeting held at the residence of Chairman KP Sharma Oli Sunday evening.
The four justices and CJ Rana were in the five-strong constitutional bench that reinstated the House dissolved for the second time by the then prime minister (PM) Oli and issued a mandamus ordering Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba be appointed PM within two days on July 12, 2021.
UML has concluded that the current instability is a consequence of that verdict and argued that the remaining four justices in that bench should also be impeached.
UML also suspects that the ruling coalition can postpone the local election asking elected head of any local body to move the SC against the decision to hold local election on May 13.
The party alleges that the ruling coalition is plotting to get a favorable verdict in that planned petition by installing Justice Deepak Kumar Karki as the acting CJ after suspension of CJ Rana following the registration of impeachment motion despite the SC refusing to register one such petition brought arguing that the local election cannot be held in May.
UML also suspects that the SC can revoke the party's decision to expel 14 lawmakers of the then Khanal-Nepal faction of the party in the petition it has lodged against Speaker Agni Sapkota for not implementing that decision by publishing a notice to that regard.
Another secretariat member told Setopati that the impeachment motion is necessary as UML has been attacked from all conrners. "I cannot say that impeachment motion will be filed immediately. But the situation has moved in that direction because there is threat of the ruling coalition becoming more anarchic if we remain silent," the secretariat member stated. "We will also hold discussion with legal professionals. We will hold serious discussion on the issue in the parliamentary party meeting and reach a conclusion."
