Responding to two writ petitions filled at the apex court separately, a single bench of Officiating Chief Justice Damodar Prasad Sharma on Monday ordered the defendants to furnish clarifications within 15 days why steps were being taken to sell the Nepalese embassy premises in London.[break]
According to Assistant Spokesperson at the SC, Hemanta Rawal, the apex court has also called in the writ petitioners and the defendants for discussions as the issue raised in the writ petitions was a serious one. However, the SC is yet to set a date for the discussions.
Gurkha Army Ex-servicemen´s Organization (GAESO) and advocate Tulasi Shimkada on April 1 filed separate writ petitions at the SC, challenging government preparations to sell off the embassy premises.
Shimkada, in moving the apex court, argued that selling the premises would be a betrayal of the centuries-old cordial relations with the UK.
"The UK embassy, which is located in a VIP area, is far more valuable than our other embassies and also has archeological value," reads the writ petition.
Similarly, Chairman of GAESO Padam Bahadur Gurung has claimed that the Interim Election Council, which has been formed to hold fresh polls, does not have any authority to sell the embassy premises as that would have long-term impact.
The prime minister´s office and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Finance, among others, have been named defendants in the writ petitions.
The government had formed a committee last November to submit a detailed report on the status of the embassy properties, determine the price that Nepal may receive and the possible legal complications. The committee was given a month to submit its report.
The embassy premises, handed over to Nepal by the UK government in 1938 in recognition of the dedication shown by Gurkhas in the Indian Army, is the most expensive property the country owns abroad.
A bilateral agreement reached between the two governments says Nepal shall pay 100 pounds annually as lease for the first 25 years, 1,000 pounds for 25-50 years, 1,500 pounds for 50-70 years and 2,000 pounds a year for 75 to 99 years.
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