SC stays citizenship bill, issues show cause to the government

Kathmandu, 4 June:  The Supreme Court today has issued a stay order against the execution of the citizenship bill that had got presidential assent on May 31.

 A single bench of the apex court of Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma issued ‘short-term ‘ interim order, along with a show cause to the government.

Justice Sharma’s interim order came during the initial hearing of a petition filed by senior advocates Surendra Bhandari and Balkrishna Neupane.

President Ram Chandra Poudel while putting his seal of approval on the controversial bill which the previous parliament had passed twice with being able to secure the presidential assent.

The legal fraternity was divided on the legality of the bill, with the opposing side claiming that with the demise of the previous House, the bill automatically ceased to exist and approving it now was illegal.

But more than that, the hurry that President showed in approving the bill a couple of hours before Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal embarked on an official trip to India is being seen in the political circle as a move to appease Delhi .