KATHMANDU, July 8: Of the eight ordinances introduced by the Balendra Shah-led government, four are set to lapse without even being tabled in Parliament, while the remaining four ordinance substitution bills also face the possibility of getting stalled in the National Assembly.
Questions have been raised over whether the four substitution bills can be passed within the constitutional deadline after the National Assembly on Tuesday referred them to a committee for detailed deliberation. The bills had earlier been passed by the House of Representatives (HoR) without being sent to a committee.
The bills referred to the committee include the Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Bill, the Prevention of Money Laundering (Third Amendment) Bill, the Cooperative (First Amendment) Bill, and the Bill to Amend Some Nepal Acts Relating to Health Science Academies.
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The HoR had fast-tracked these ordinance substitution bills and sent them to the National Assembly. Since the ordinances were tabled in both Houses on May 11, the Constitution and the House of Representatives Regulations require that the substitution bills be passed by both Houses and authenticated by the President by July 10.
With only a short time remaining before the deadline, the National Assembly's Legislation Management Committee faces the challenge of completing clause-by-clause deliberations on all four bills, submitting its report to the House, and securing their passage by both Houses.
However, officials at the Federal Parliament Secretariat said the committee is preparing to expedite its work and is expected to complete deliberations and submit its report within the deadline.
The substitution bills were registered in the HoR on June 22, after both Houses endorsed the ordinances. The government moved ahead with the bills after opposition parties in the National Assembly agreed to support their passage.
Meanwhile, the remaining four ordinances are set to become ineffective after the expiry of the 60-day constitutional period, as they were never tabled in Parliament. Government officials said it has yet to decide whether to register them as fresh bills, prorogue Parliament and reissue them as ordinances, or take another course of action.
Article 114(2)(a) of the Constitution states that an ordinance must be presented in both Houses of the Federal Parliament and automatically ceases to have effect if it is not approved by both Houses.
The four ordinances set to lapse are the Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties, Powers and Procedures) First Amendment Ordinance, 2026, the Special Provisions Relating to the Removal of Public Office Bearers Ordinance, 2026, the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts, 2026, and the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Relating to Universities, 2026.
