Advocates asked to present their arguments within half an hour

KATHMANDU, Jan 20: Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana has asked advocates to present their arguments within half an hour during the ongoing hearing on the case against the dissolution of parliament at the Supreme Court.

Earlier, advocates participating in the hearing had no time limit thereby making hearings lengthy and time-consuming.

During today's hearing, Chief Justice Rana said that advocates should present their arguments within half an hour. "Dr Gyawali, we have allotted half-an-hour time limit for advocates from today who present their arguments at the ongoing hearing," Rana said while asking advocate Chandra Kanta Gyawali to furnish his arguments within the given time.

Gyawali, a petitioner against the House dissolution, is presenting his arguments at the ongoing hearing.

The apex court has placed a timer at the hearing bench to provide information on the beginning and ending of the hearing.

The decision of the Chief Justice comes amid concerns that prolonged hearing without time limit might delay the final verdict on the case against the parliament dissolution.

Hearings have been held at the apex court’s five-member Constitutional Bench led by CJ Rana on 13 writ petitions filed against the dissolution of the 275-member House of Representatives by President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. 

The apex court formed a five-member constitutional bench under Chief Justice Cholendra SJB Rana. The other members of the bench are justices Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, Tej Bahadur KC, Anil Kumar Sinha and Sapana Pradan Malla.

The Supreme Court on Jan 15 ordered that the hearing on the writ petitions filed against the dissolution of the House of Representative (HoR) would be conducted by the constitutional bench itself  despite the call of the petitioners to take the case to the full bench.

Stating that parliament dissolution is a serious case of judicial interpretation, the apex court ruled that the hearing on the writ petitions against parliament dissolution would be made by the five-member constitutional bench. The apex court made this decision after two continuous hearings conducted on Jan 14 and 15.