Kathmandu, Nov 3: The Supreme Court has issued an interim order stopping the government from implementing its decision to recall ambassadors from 11 countries. The order came from a bench of Justices Sharanga Subedi and Shreekanta Paudel in response to a writ petition filed by Laxmi Prasad Regmi against the Cabinet’s October 16 decision.

The court noted that the government’s decision selectively recalled only 11 out of 17 ambassadors appointed at the same time, without citing reasons or legal grounds for the recall. It also pointed out that there is currently no situation where new ambassadors could be appointed and take charge immediately.

The interim order stated, “It appears that the tenure of the 11 recalled ambassadors has not yet expired. The Cabinet decision does not mention any reasons for recalling them, nor is there evidence of any preparations for new appointments. The President’s Office has clarified, through its statement dated 2082/05/27 BS, that the present interim government was formed to conduct elections to the House of Representatives within six months following its dissolution on the same date. Considering Article 292 of the Constitution, it is evident that ambassadorial positions are unlikely to be filled immediately, leaving those posts vacant.”

The court further observed that such a decision could affect Nepal’s international relations. It added that since no necessity or justification for recalling only 11 of the 17 ambassadors was mentioned, the court found it appropriate to issue an interim order.

The order states that, until a final verdict is reached, the Cabinet’s October 16 decision to recall the ambassadors should not be implemented or enforced and the status quo must be maintained. The interim order was issued under Rule 49(2)(a) of the Supreme Court Regulations, 2074.

People’s News Monitoring Service