KATHMANDU, July 27: The Supreme Court (SC) has issued a show-cause order to the government over its decision to allow members of the Federal Parliament to appoint personal secretaries.
A single bench of Justice Binod Sharma ordered the government to submit a written response.
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The court issued the order in response to a petition filed by advocate Dr Prem Raj Silwal, who argued that the government’s decision would lead to excessive misuse of public funds and violates the spirit and intent of the Constitution. The petition also seeks to annul both the government’s decision and the related notice published in the Nepal Gazette through a writ of certiorari.
According to the petition, there are no clear provisions regarding the educational qualifications, competence or competitive selection process for appointing personal secretaries to lawmakers. It also argues that the law does not clearly define their duties, responsibilities or authority, making the system vulnerable to arbitrary appointments and abuse.
The petition cites past cases in which parliamentary aides were implicated in serious crimes, including the red passport scandal, the fake Bhutanese refugee scam, and gold smuggling cases, arguing that the new arrangement could further encourage corruption and irregularities.
It further claims that lawmakers may appoint relatives or business associates as personal secretaries, or even draw salaries without making appointments, repeating past malpractice. The petition therefore seeks to have the government’s decision revoked.
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