The Supreme Court is set to begin the hearing today on the contempt of court case filed against Prime Minister Sushila Karki. The case was officially registered on Mangsir 3. The contempt petition was filed after the government failed to comply with the interim order related to the recall of ambassadors.
Despite the Supreme Court’s interim order on Kartik 16 instructing the government not to implement the decision to recall ambassadors, the government sent a letter on Kartik 17 directing ambassadors to report back to the ministry. Following this violation, contempt petitions were submitted on Kartik 18, registered on Mangsir 3, and scheduled for the first hearing today (Mangsir 7).
Separate petitions were filed by advocates Anantaraj Luintel, Prativa Upreti, and Bishal Thapa, while another was filed by advocate Prem Raj Silwal. They argue that Prime Minister Sushila Karki directly violated the court’s order and demand the highest level of punishment for contempt of court.
The joint bench of Justices Saranga Subedi and Shreekanta Poudel had issued the interim order on Kartik 16, blocking the ambassador recall decision. However, the very next day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a letter (dispatch no. 3425 dated 2082/07/17) directing ambassadors from 11 countries to return and report by the 20th.
Even petitions demanding enforcement of the Supreme Court’s own order were not registered immediately, leading to dissatisfaction within the judicial sector over what is seen as the government’s indifference toward complying with the court’s decisions.
The government had earlier announced that it would not make new ambassadorial appointments after a writ petition was filed challenging the decision of Asoj 30. Despite this, it has continued recalling ambassadors from 11 countries and instructing them to report to the ministry, raising further controversy.
The government, which should be focusing on the upcoming elections, has been criticized for getting entangled in the recall and appointment of ambassadors, potentially diverting attention away from election preparations.
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