The Supreme Court (SC) has instructed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to not immediately implement removal of its lawmaker Dhaka Kumar Shrestha.
A single bench of Justice Til Prasad Shrestha hearing the petition filed against the expulsion by Shrestha has issued a short-term interim order to that regard on Monday.
The bench has summoned both the sides for hearing. It has ordered to not implement the punishment until the SC gives another order after hearing arguments of both the sides, according to SC Spokesperson Bimal Paudel who added that whether Shrestha would be allowed to attend House meeting or not would be known once the written order arrived.
RSP had removed Dhaka Kumar Shrestha from lawmaker and party member on April 12 after the audio recording of a phone conversation alleged to be between him and businessman Durga Prasai.
Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire has already read the notice of Shrestha’s expulsion in the House while the party has already sent acid attack victim Bindabasini Kansakar as HoR member through the PR electoral system to replace Shrestha.
The party’s central committee meeting held on April 12 had decided to punish Shrestha after audio recording of him purportedly demanding Rs 20 million from promoter of B&C Medical College Durga Prasai was made public.
Kapurbot Media had first published audio recording of what it claimed was the deal between Shrestha and Prasai.
Shrestha, who was elected to the House of Representatives (HoR) through the Proportional Representation electoral system, could be heard telling Prasai that the amount was needed to give to RSP President Rabi Lamichhane’s men for Shrestha to become health minister.
The conversation took place at the start of January, as Prasai informed in the audio, when RSP was negotiating in the then ruling coalition also including CPN-UML to get the Health Ministry. Shrestha could be heard telling Prasai that Lamichhane would make him heath minister only if he handed over Rs 20-25 million to Lamichhane's men.
