Rastriya Swatantra Party leader Rabi Lamichhane has acquired Nepali citizenship.
He acquired citizenship certificate from the District Administration Office, Kathmandu on Sunday.
Chief District Officer (CDO) of Kathmandu Ghanashyam Upadhyaya confirmed with Setopati that Lamichhane acquired citizenship certificate as per the Nepal Citizenship Act and the Nepal Citizenship Rules. “He is once again citizen,” Upadhyaya said.
Clause 11 of the Nepal Citizenship Act related to re-acquisition of Nepali citizenship states “Any Citizen of Nepal who has acquired foreign citizenship returns to reside in Nepal and submits a notification to the designated authority the evidence of renunciation of foreign citizenship shall be reinstated the NepalI citizenship from the date of registering such evidence.”
Section 11 of the Nepal Citizenship Rules regarding procedures for resumption of citizenship of Nepal, meanwhile, states “If any person who has renounced the citizenship of Nepal pursuant to Section 11 of the Act and gone abroad intends to acquire the citizenship of Nepal again, such a person shall have to make an application, in the format referred to in Schedule-11, accompanied by a proof showing the renunciation of foreign citizenship, to the Ministry or the concerned Chief District Officer that has previously issued the certificate of citizenship to that person.”
Lamichhane has acquired citizenship completing the process. The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday ruled that Lamichhane was not eligible to become lawmaker.
The constitutional bench including Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki, and Justices Bishwambhar Shrestha, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Kumar Sinha reasoned that Lamichhane was ineligible to become lawmaker as he did not complete the process to re-acquire his citizenship certificate that became invalid after he acquired US citizenship.
