The Supreme Court (SC) has issued an order to not keep RSP candidate in Dhanusha-1 Kishori Sah Kamal on the blacklist.
Hearing the writ petition filed by Sah, a bench of Justice Sharanga Subedi on Thursday issued the interim order.
Sah had filed the petition at the SC on Wednesday, naming the Nepal Rastra Bank, the Credit Information Bureau, the Election Commission, and the District Election Office, Dhanusha, as defendants.
He approached the SC claiming that his candidacy was canceled after the Credit Information Bureau placed him on the blacklist.
Previously, he had filed a separate petition against the Election Commission on March 3. A discussion had been called for Friday to decide whether or not to issue an interim order regarding the matter. However, Sah reached the SC through another petition requesting removal from the blacklist. Following the issuance of the interim order to remove him from the blacklist, it remains uncertain what will happen regarding his candidacy.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari stated that they were not aware of the interim order.
"Today's order is not against us. Regarding the petition he filed against the Commission's decision, there is a hearing for both parties tomorrow. Whatever order is issued during that hearing will determine the decision," he said.
The Election Commission has declared Matrika Yadav of the Nepali Communist Party as the winner in Dhanusha-1. However, more votes were cast for Sah, whose candidacy had already been canceled, than for Yadav. Although the Election Commission counted his votes despite the cancellation, it has not made them public.
The Election Commision had canceled his candidacy citing that he was blacklisted by the Credit Information Bureau regarding matters related to banks and financial institutions. His company, Kamal Nirman Sewa Pvt Ltd, had been blacklisted since February 5, 2024, for failing to fulfill obligations related to banks and financial institutions.
The Credit Information Bureau blacklists relevant parties after cases are filed involving non-payment of bank loans or check bounces.
