Nepal SC issues show-cause notice to interim govt on its formation and House dissolution

PTI, December 03, 2025, Kathmandu :  Nepal's Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to the interim government in response to a petition filed by deposed prime minister K P Sharma Oli’s CPN-UML challenging its formation and the dissolution of the House of Representatives.

Former chief justice Sushila Karki became the interim prime minister on September 12 and President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved Parliament on her recommendation. The next general election is set to take place on March 5, 2026.

The elections were necessitated following the ouster of prime minister Oli on September 9 after demonstrations by Gen Z protesting corruption and demanding lifting of a ban on social media turned violent leading to the death of 76 people in two days.

A Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court has instructed all respondents to submit a written explanation within seven days through the Office of the Attorney General, according to Supreme Court officials.

The bench, which included Chief Justice Prakashman Singh Raut, also ordered that this petition be heard together with earlier cases related to the dissolution of the House and the formation of the interim government.

Around a dozen cases have been filed by advocates against the dissolution of the House in the apex court.

The petition filed by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) questions the appointment of Karki as prime minister, arguing that the Constitution bars a former chief justice and an individual who is not a member of the Parliament to assume the post.

The petitioners claim that her appointment violates Articles 76 and 132(2) of the Constitution and is therefore "unconstitutional".

The petition seeks to nullify the president’s decision of appointing Karki as the prime minister, cabinet appointments and subsequent decisions.

The CPN-UML has also demanded the reversal of the House dissolution order and the restoration of the Parliament, calling the entire government “illegal”.