Kathmandu: The Supreme Court has issued an interim order directing political parties to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the closed list of proportional representation candidates for the upcoming House of Representatives elections.
The order was issued by a joint bench of Justices Hari Phuyal and Tek Prasad Dhungana while hearing a writ petition filed by Madhav Chamlagain. The bench instructed the Election Commission to immediately correct the closed lists and ensure that parties which have failed to include persons with disabilities amend their lists accordingly.
Read this:- Final List of RSP Proportional Representation Aspirants Made Public
In its order, the Supreme Court noted that political parties are still within the legally provided timeframe to amend their proportional representation lists. As per the election schedule, parties have time until December 27 to make necessary corrections and revisions to their closed lists.
The court emphasized that the constitutional and legal provisions mandating inclusive representation must be strictly followed and that excluding persons with disabilities from proportional representation lists goes against the spirit of inclusion guaranteed by the Constitution.
According to the Election Commission, the closed lists submitted by political parties will be formally examined between poush 27 and Magh 3. Following this review process, the commission is scheduled to publish the final list of proportional representation candidates on Poush 20.
The Supreme Court’s interim order is expected to put pressure on political parties to comply with inclusion requirements and correct any omissions before the finalization of candidate lists.
