The Supreme Court has issued an interim order to not implement the Parliament Secretariat's letter that had rendered the impeachment motion against suspended Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana ineffective.
The Supreme Court’s constitutional bench issued the interim order on Friday, according to Devendra Dhakal, joint spokesperson at the apex court.
Earlier, General Secretary of the Federal Parliament Secretariat Bharat Raj Gautam had on Wednesday sent a letter to CJ Rana which stated that the impeachment motion against him had become inactive, paving the way for him to return to court.
CJ Rana caused ripples in political and judicial circles after he tried to resume his duties as chief justice at the Supreme Court the same day on the basis of the letter.
Supreme Court Bar Association President Purna Man Shakya and others had then filed a writ petition at the apex court demanding an interim order to not implement the letter.
A constitutional bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki and justices Bishwambhar Shrestha, Ishwar Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Sinha was formed to hear the petition.
Six senior advocates – Shambhu Thapa, Badri Bahadur Karki, Purna Man Shakya, Gopal Krishna Ghimire, Krishna Prasad Bhandari and Tika Ram Bhattarai – argued on behalf of the petitioners in the preliminary hearing on Friday.
