KATHMANDU, April 17: Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the oath of office and secrecy administered to President Bidya Devi Bhandari by the then Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli.
A single bench of Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla handed down the verdict Tuesday by scrapping the a writ petition filed by advocate Hemmani Subedi and Narayan Kharel after conducting a final hearing. The petitioners had challenged the oath as illegal saying that Parajuli had already been relieved of the post of chief justice when he administered the oath to the president. The petitioners on March 28 had filed the petition demanding that the president should take oath again from a legitimate chief justice.
Although the petition was scrapped, the bench has not made public the text of the judgment citing lack of time.
Parajuli had administered the oath of office and secrecy to President Bhandari on March 14. However, the Judicial Council had sent a letter to Parajuli earlier in the day informing him that he was relieved of the position on age ground.
Judicial Council Secretary Nirpa Dhawj Niroula had on March 14 sent a letter to Parajuli stating that he had retired seven months ago due the constitutional age limit.