Speaking at a press conference organized in the capital on Monday, senior lawyer Harihar Dahal said the government´s recommendation to pardon Dhungel is against the constitution.[break]
“The recommendation of the government to pardon Maoist lawmaker Dhungel is against the constitution and the president should remain objective while taking a decision,” said Dahal.
He said that parliament should also press the government to roll back its decision. “The role of parliament should be very powerful and it should press the government to rethink its decision.”
Similarly, President of Nepal Bar Association, Prem Bahadur Khadka opined that President Dr Ram Baran Yadav should ask the government to rethink its decision.
“Being the patron of the constitution, the president should ask the government to rethink its decision to recommend pardon for Balkrishna Dhungel,” he said, adding, “Even if the Supreme Court (SC) doesn´t decide in favor of Dhungel, the president should accept the decision in order to protect human rights and preserve the rule of law in the country.”
Meantime, lawyer Bhimarjun Acharya stated that there is no basis for pardoning lawmaker Dhungel. “Dhungel was involved in politics but the issue was not a political one," he said.
He added that the government has made a mockery of rule of law and constitution. “The government doesn´t want a timely constitution and for this reason it has been involved in an unnecessary case.”
The Supreme Court on Sunday ordered the president and the government not to act on the government´s recommendation to pardon Dhungel, a murder convict, until November 21 when the court is scheduled to decide whether to stay the controversial recommendation.
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