Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire has refused to revoke suspension of the parliamentary position of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane.
Lamichhane has been under suspension since last December. Lamichhane, who was arrested on October 18, 2024, on charges of cooperative fraud, also faced cases registered under organized crime and money laundering laws, leading to the suspension of his parliamentary post from December 23.
After being released on bail by the district courts of Kaski, Rupandehi, Chitwan, and Kathmandu, Lamichhane and his party RSP have been continuously demanding the lifting of his suspension.
On Tuesday, Lamichhane, along with other RSP leaders, met with Speaker Ghimire and requested revocation of the suspension. Lamichhane had also urged Speaker Ghimire previously on January 31 to lift the suspension.
During Tuesday’s meeting with Speaker Ghimire, Lamichhane claimed that he was being targeted out of vengeance and argued that his parliamentary position could not be suspended based on ‘propped up’ cases.
RSP lawmaker Sobita Gautam raised the issue of parliamentary supremacy before Speaker Ghimire stating that they had not sought justice elsewhere for this reason. She argued that, under the principle of separation of powers, Speaker Ghimire had the authority to lift the suspension of a parliamentarian.
In response, Speaker Ghimire stated that he could not lift the suspension of Lamichhane’s parliamentary position. According to Speaker Ghimire’s Press Coordinator Shekhar Adhikari, Ghimire provided two reasons for his inability to do so.
First, Speaker Ghimire clarified that he had not personally suspended Lamichhane’s parliamentary position. Instead, he had only issued a notice to inform about it. He explained that Lamichhane’s position was suspended due to laws outside the parliamentary regulations. He argued that since the suspension was not based on parliamentary rules, he lacked the authority to revoke it. Additionally, Speaker Ghimire noted that lifting the suspension would amount to contempt of court.
“At that time, not issuing the suspension notice would have been contempt of court and other laws. Now, attempting to lift it would also constitute another form of contempt,” Speaker Ghimire said during the discussion.
During the meeting, Lamichhane reminded Speaker Ghimire that he had raised the issue of lifting suspension two months earlier.
In response, Speaker Ghimire said he had not remained idle during that period. “Speaker Ghimire informed that he had held discussions and sought opinions from the attorney general in the intervening period,” said Adhikari.
