A constitutional bench has been formed at the Supreme Court to hear the petitions filed against the dissolution of the House of Representatives. According to Supreme Court spokesperson Arjun Prasad Koirala, the bench comprises Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut and Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla, Kumar Regmi, Hariprasad Phuyal, and Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma. On the recommendation of the current interim government, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12. In this context, a total of 16 petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking orders to annul the dissolution of Parliament, reinstate Parliament, and address the appointment of the interim Prime Minister. The preliminary hearings are scheduled to begin from October 29.
As the Supreme Court was damaged by fire on September 9, affecting its operations, the court administration has announced that hearings on the petitions will be conducted from today at the Constitutional Bench in the annex building. During the Gen-Z protest on September 9, arson, stone-pelting, vandalism, and looting at the court caused significant damage, leading to the suspension of all activities except for the registration and hearing of habeas corpus and urgent petitions. After the resumption of petition registration and hearings on October 14, several petitions were filed against the dissolution of the House of Representatives. Those who filed the petitions include Advocate Dr. Prem Raj Silwal, Yubaraj Paudel, Advocate Kirtinath Sharma Paudel, Ayush Badal, Makbul Miya, Advocate Khadak Bahadur Shah, Dambar Prasad Siwakoti, Advocate Dal Bahadur Dhami, Prakash Bhujel, and Bipin Dhakal, among others.
Earlier, on October 14, a full court meeting of all justices, including Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, had decided to resume the registration and hearing of petitions. The Supreme Court’s digital system, which had been damaged during the Gen-Z protest due to arson and vandalism, has now been restored. According to spokesperson Arjun Prasad Koirala, data related to both pending and decided cases have been found to be safely recovered. At present, the Supreme Court is conducting hearings through only five benches.
National News Agency