Snubbing President Bhandari, House endorses bill to amend Citizenship Act without changes   

NL Today

  • Read Time 2 min.

Kathmandu: Without any review, the House of Representatives has endorsed an amendment bill on the Citizenship Act–sent by President Bidya Devi Bhandari for reconsideration.

Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khad tabled the bill in the lower house, four days after President Bhandari sent back the bill to parliament. 

The bill,  endorsed with a majority vote, will again be sent to the President for authentication after it is endorsed by the upper house–National Assembly. Of the total 195 votes cast, 135 were in favor of passing the bill, and the remaining 60 were against it.

Earlier on August 1, Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota sent the bill to President Bhandari for authentication after being passed by the HoR and the National Assembly. However on August 14, the President, as per the Constitution of Nepal, returned the bill citing it required a review.

Now, the bill will be sent to the National Assembly for re-endorsement. 

The message from the President for a review of the bill will be tabled in NA’s first meeting on August 22, said the Federal Parliament’s spokesperson Dr Rojnath Pandey. 

Following this, a message related to the bill from the HoR will be tabled and a deliberation will begin, he added.

Thereafter, the bill if passed by the NA will be sent back to the HoR, and to the President for its authentication after the Speaker certifies it.

Now the president has to authenticate the bill as per the constitution. “The president may return any bill for a review only for one time according to the Constitution. Now, there is no provision that the President can seek legal advice from the judiciary. It should be authenticated as per the legal provision,” according to constitution expert Dr Chandra Kanta Gyawali. 

According to the Article 113 (4) of the Constitution, in case of any bill returned by President for a review, is again passed by both houses (HoR and NA) without any changes or amendment following its review, it shall be presented before the President again and it shall be authenticated by President within 15 days.