Nepal SC issues notice against bill to amend statute

KATHMANDU : At a time when Nepal’s politicians are sharply divided over a bill to amend the Constitution, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the government for a written reply on the reasons for the proposed changes.

The court said the government should list the reasons behind the bill that is focussed on issues such as altering borders of provinces, naturalised citizenship, representation in the National Assembly and the language commission, which, it said, went against the spirit of the Constitution.

The government registered the bill in Parliament last week to address the demands of agitating Madhes-based political parties and to end a year-long political logjam over the statute.

The proposed changes were opposed by the main opposition CPN-UML, which described them as anti-national, especially a move to split Province number 5, which would lead to the creation of two more provinces in the southern Terai region.

After the registration of the bill, the CPN-UML obstructed the functioning of Parliament and took to the streets. The court issued the show-cause notice in response to a writ petition filed by five people on behalf of the Ex-MPs’ Forum. HTC Guitarist-singer of progressive rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s dies aged 69 after battling cancer The musician co-founded the bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP) that helped define the sprawling, influential but often maligned genre