Petition filed at SC to convene grand bench to hear writ against dissolution of parliament

Kathmandu, 5 January (2021) - Twelve writ petitioners who had filed separate writ petitions against government's decision to dissolve the parliament at the Supreme Court (SC) of Nepal have filed another petition requesting the court to convene a grand bench to hear their petitions.

Constitutional bench of the SC has been hearing the petitions since last Wednesday.

Nepal Communist Party's Parliamentary Party Chief Whip Dev Gurung and lawyers signed the petition and filed it at the SC on Tuesday, one of the lawyers told Lokantar.

The lawyers have requested to convene a grand bench comprised of more than 12 justices.

There is a precedent of convening grand bench in important cases, they claimed.

Previously, the single bench of Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana issued order that a constitutional bench will hear all writ petitions against dissolution of House of Representatives.

The five-member constitutional bench led by CJ Rana has issued show cause notice to Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and Office of the Speaker of House of Representatives.

President Bidya Dev Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday submitted a written response to the court through Office of the Attorney General arguing that decision to dissolve House is a special power granted to the PM.

Speaker Agni Sapkota meanwhile argued that the constitution provides ground for reinstating of the parliament.