KATHMANDU, Jan 5: Supreme Court on Monday sought written clarification from the government over the latter's decision to expand cabinet even after the recommendation made to dissolve the House of Representatives.
A single bench of Justice Anil Kumar Sinha sought written clarification behind the decision to expand the cabinet in response to separate writ petitions filed by senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi and advocate Lokendra Oli. The Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has been made the defendant in the writ petitions.
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The petitioners have argued that the government that is reduced into a caretaker status after the dissolution of the parliament cannot expand the cabinet. They have demanded the apex court to revoke the decision of the government.
The apex court, however, has invited both the parties for discussion on January 12 after a preliminary hearing on the writ petitions.
Cabinet ministers close to Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal had tendered resignation after the sudden move of Prime Minister K P Oli to dissolve the lower house of the federal parliament on December 20. Prime Minister K P Oli then had decided to induct new faces in the cabinet amid strong objections from the rival faction within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).
