KATHMANDU, Dec 17: While expressing concerns over some of the provisions in the proposed ‘bill to amend and integrate laws relating to the Constitution and operation of Nepal Special Service’, the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has registered a protest notice against the bill at the parliament secretariat.
NC lawmaker Prakash Panth registered the protest notice against the bill which is currently under the discussion at the federal parliament. The bill proposes to grant sweeping authorities to the country’s intelligence department including tapping phones of the persons they consider involved in suspicious activities.
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Issuing a press statement, the NC Parliamentary Office stated that the provisions in the bill are aimed at infringing upon people’s fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution itself. The NC has maintained that the bill is likely to pave way for leaking vital information of individuals, breach the rights to privacy and curtail individual liberty.
In the protest notice, NC has argued that it was necessary to issue the protest notice as these provisions go against the fundamental rights of privacy and individual liberty.
NC Chief Whip Bal Krishna Khand said any move to formulate the act in contravention to the constitution is unacceptable for the NC. The party has demanded the government to immediately withdraw the bill. The NC also urged the government not to come up with any bill against the constitution in the future.