KATHMANDU, Dec 29: The Supreme Court on Friday summoned government authorities to discuss whether to issue stay a stay order against a recently issued letter of the Election Commission to various political parties.
  
A single bench of Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut issued the order to the authorities -- the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the Election Commission -- following Friday's hearing. The bench also gave 15 days to the authorities to clarify on why the letter was sent to the political parties. 

 The bench was responding to a writ petition filed Thursday by Nepali Congress provincial assembly candidate from Province No 3, Govinda Hari Pudasaini filed the petition stating that the EC letter contradicts the law.

Pudasaini has asked the court to nullify the letter, in which the EC had asked various parties to send list of their proportional representation candidates for provincial assemblies.

The petitioner claimed that the EC has sought the names on the basis of the priority list while Section 60 (6) of the Provincial Assembly Member Election Act, 2017 gives power to the political parties to select candidates from among the closed list as far as possible.

Section 60 (6) of the Act states that the list to be submitted by the political parties must be prepared based on the ratio of the population and the seats obtained by the political parties ensuring the representation of Dalit, Indigenous People, Khas, Arya, Tharu, Muslim and the backward region, minority community and disabled people on the basis of the number sequence of the closed list.

 
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