SC verdict

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a landmark verdict that annuls past cabinet decisions extending perks to various individuals, including the former king, ex-prime ministers, ministers and so-called VIPs. The apex court bench said that altogether five decisions taken by various cabinets over a period of eight years to provide vehicles, fuel, money for house rent and maintenance, state security personnel and other perks to ex-PMs, ex-chief justices and former DPMs, home ministers, ministers, state ministers, lawmakers and ex-royalty were arbitrary, discriminatory and against the law.



The benefits enjoyed by these individuals simply by virtue of having once held important public posts were either not at all sanctioned by law or were much in excess of what was prescribed in the law. The SC was, therefore, right to annul such decisions that exceeded the law and were a drain on state coffers.



Political parties and their leaders are supposed to be the standard bearers of society, or that is how things should be in a more ideal world. Unfortunately, Nepal’s leaders are often found wanting when it comes to upholding morality and leading by example. Prime ministers routinely obtain the latest luxury SUVs from various development projects and go home with those vehicles when they leave Baluwatar. The Melamchi Drinking Water Project alone has bought five luxury vehicles and furnished them to former PMs and Deputy PMs.



A former home minister brought a SUV costing over Rs 15 million just a few months before he was supposed to leave office and he still rides that expensive vehicle! The political leaders knew all along that such misuse of the state coffers was a gross violation of existing law. Yet none of them ever spoke up against the practice. The Supreme Court ruling is, therefore, a huge slap on face of leaders who have displayed rare consensus in providing and accepting state largesse.



Neither we nor the Supreme Court is saying that top leaders, including former prime ministers and ministers, should be denied all state benefits. But any such benefits offered to individuals at cost to the state on a permanent or long-term basis should be sanctioned by law. The government should, therefore, respect the SC verdict and implement it immediately.



We hope Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who won praise for riding an inexpensive, Nepal-made Mustang Max, but has since put in a pathetic performance in curbing corruption and abuse of law, will not argue that implementing the SC verdict could derail peace and the constitution! Leaders enjoying state benefits beyond legitimate limits should prove that they still have some moral conscience left and renounce such benefits. Former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal, Surya Bahadur Thapa and Pushpa Kamal Dahal deserve appreciation for deciding to return their luxury vehicles. Better late than never.

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