Kathmandu: The Supreme Court (SC) has announced a verdict to quash writ petitions filed against the Citizenship Ordinance. The earlier KP Sharma Oli-led government had introduced the ordinance after dissolving the House of Representatives.
A Constitutional Bench of Acting Chief Justice Deepak Kumar Karki, Justices Mira Khadka, Hari Krishna Karki, Ishwar Khatiwada and Ananda Mohan Bhattarai on Wednesday quashed writ petitions.
Delivering the final verdict on Wednesday, the apex court said that even though the ordinance was issued, there were no discussions held in the Parliament and a replacement bill was also not tabled. The bench annulled writs stating the ordinance has now turned defunct.
Earlier, the apex court had issued an interim order saying that the ordinance cannot be issued as an urgent matter by violating the jurisdiction of the Parliament to formulate laws.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari on May 23 had issued the Nepal Citizenship (First Amendment) Ordinance on the recommendation of the Cabinet. The ordinance had paved the way for children of citizens by birth and children of Nepali mothers to obtain Nepali Citizenship.
The Oli-led government has brought the ordinance to rope in the erstwhile Mahantha Thakur-Rajendra Mahato faction of the Janata Samajbadi Party into the government.
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