By Our Reporter supreme-courtThe government decision to increase the number of local units to 766 from existing 744 has been stayed by a Supreme Court order citing that the move was against the Local Level Election Act 2017. A cabinet meeting had decided to increase the number of local units in a bid to address the demands of the Madhes-based parties, which have been demanding increase of local units in Tarai together with the amendment to the constitution. The government had taken the decision to add the local units in 12 Tarai districts despite a strong opposition from the CPN-UML, the main opposition party in the parliament. But the Supreme Court issued an interim order against the government on Friday, which pleased the CPN-UML though it irked the Madhes-based parties. A division bench of Justices IshworKhatiwada and SapanaPradhanMalla issued the order in response to a writ filed by petitioners including DhanBahadurShrestha. The government had decided to add 22 local units in 12 Taraidistricts, elevate 24 village councils as municipalities and make Birgunj and Biratnagar metropolises in a bid to bring the agitating Madhes-based parties on board the elections process. As per Clause 4 of the Local Level Election Act 2017, the number and boundaries of local units cannot be revised after the announcement of the election date, the bench said.