The Parliamentary Hearing Committee on Monday has rejected Krishna Man Pradhan who was recommended for the post of Election Commmission commissioner pointing that he has withdrawn his name.
Pradhan withdrew his name earlier on the day as the committee looked set to reject him. The committee then decided to reject him pointing that he informed the committee about his wish to not continue his candidacy before it could take a decision.
Pradhan himself wrote to the committee on Monday to not endorse him after it became apparent that the committee would not endorse him following allegations of sexual abuse.
"He has said that though he has been recommended to the post of election commissioner, he does not have enthusiasm and desire to work in the recommended position due to the false propaganda about him outside," said General Secretary of the Federal Parliament Secretariat Padma Prasad Pandeya who is also secretary of the committee.
The committee was earlier scheduled to meet at 11:30 in the morning to take a decision on whether to endorse Pradhan or not. The meeting was later postponed for five in the evening.
A woman had complained with the committee claiming that Pradhan sexually exploited her with promise of job in an international non-governmental organization (INGO). Lawmakers in the committee had asked Pradhan about the allegations during the hearing on July 24 but he evaded and did not even claim that the allegations were false.
The woman had also submitted documents of financial settlement in the case of sexual abuse filed in the Kathmandu District Court. She claimed that she opted for money as reparation for physical and mental pain to settle the case but stressed that such a person did not qualify to become commissioner of the constitutional body citing Article 245(6) of the Constitution.
Article 245(6) of the Constitution about qualification for the chief election commissioner or an election commissioner requires the person to be of high moral character.
The committee is required to take a call on any person recommended for appointment within 45 days failing which the person is automatically considered fit for appointment. The 45-day deadline for Pradhan was set to expire on Thursday.
The committee was under intense pressure to not endorse Pradhan as evidence of the settlement of the case of sexual exploitation was submitted. But it hesitated to reject him as his recommendation was done with blessing of leaders of all the major political parties and the chief justice.
He was unanimously recommended for Election Commmission commissioner by the Constitutional Council when Pushpa Kamal Dahal was its chairman in capacity of the prime minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba member in capacity of the main opposition leader. The other members in the Constitutional Council House speaker, deputy speaker and National Assembly Chairman were elected to their posts on tickets of CPN-UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party and CPN (Maoist Center) respectively. Chief justice is the sixth member of the Constitutional Council.
CPN-UML led by current PM KP Sharma Oli was the largest party in the ruling coalition when Pradhan was recommended.
