According to Hemanta Rawal, deputy spokesperson of the apex court, a single bench of justice Sushila Karki ordered the government to halt the appointment process until April 7. [break]
Advocate Om Prakash Aryal on March 20 had moved the court challenging the government´s preparations to appoint Karki as the chief of the anti-corruption body. The apex court has also summoned both petitioner and defendants for discussion.
In the petition, Aryal had stated that the recommendation of the High-Level Political Committee to appoint Karki as head of CIAA is against constitutional provisions and the spirit of the people´s movement, rule of law, good governance, transparency, accountability and the principle of constitutional checks and balances.
The writ petitioner has claimed that Karki is not eligible for the post as he was involved in suppression of the peaceful democratic movement of April 2006 and the Rayamajhi Commission formed subsequently had recommended the government to remove Karki from civil service, making him ineligible for any public post in future.
The Office of the President, Chairman of Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi and his office, Constitutional Council, the CIAA, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Karki himself have been made defendants in the writ petition.
The recommendation of the UCPN (Maoist) to appoint Karki as head of the anti-graft body has drawn huge controversy as non-Maoist parties have maintained that he be denied the position due to his involvement in suppression of the April 2006 movement. CPN-UML second-rung leaders have even threatened their top leaders with action over the proposed appointment of Karki to CIAA.
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