The Supreme Court has issued an interim order prohibiting the implementation of the government's decision to recall ambassadors.
On Sunday, a joint bench of Justices Sharanga Subedi and Shreekanta Paudel issued an interim order directing that the government's decision to recall ambassadors not be implemented until the final decision.
“Since the matter will be decided through a final order, an interim order has been issued in the name of the respondents to not implement, or cause to be implemented, the decision made by the Council of Ministers on October 16 to recall ambassadors, and to maintain the status quo.”
The government led by Sushila Karki had decided to recall 11 ambassadors. The court issued the interim order stating that there were no grounds to justify the necessity of the decision.
“It is evident that the decision could potentially affect Nepal’s international relations, and out of 17 residential ambassadors appointed on the same date upon the recommendation of the then Council of Ministers, only 11 were selected for termination and recall, without any stated reason or justification,” the court said in its order.
On October 16, the government recalled ambassadors to China, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
Then-prime minister KP Sharma Oli’s government had appointed them as ambassadors through a Cabinet meeting on July 29, 2024. The decisions regarding the ambassadors serving in Australia, India, Denmark, Sri Lanka, South Korea, and South Africa, appointed at the same time, have been left intact.
