Petitions challenging the establishment of an interim government and the dissolution of parliament in Nepal have been submitted to the Supreme Court, as confirmed by a court official. The protests, initiated by the youth on September 8 in response to a temporary social media ban, economic challenges, and corruption issues, escalated nationwide following a violent crackdown. The unrest resulted in 73 fatalities over two days, with significant destruction of parliamentary and governmental structures, leading to the collapse of the administration.
Subsequently, former chief justice Sushila Karki, aged 73, was named as the prime minister, and the parliament was dissolved shortly after. However, the legality of these actions is now being questioned. According to Nirajan Pandey, the court’s information officer, eleven petitions have been lodged asserting that the formation of the new interim government and the dissolution of the lower house are unconstitutional. Procedures are in progress to officially record the petitions, with hearings to be scheduled afterward.
Following the dissolution, leaders from eight political parties issued a joint statement demanding the reinstatement of parliament. Dinesh Tripathi, a lawyer, remarked that such a scenario was not foreseen in the constitution and poses a challenge that the court will need to address. Former prime minister KP Sharma Oli, who had previously served four terms before being removed, has urged the reinstatement of the parliament that was dissolved in an unconstitutional manner, in a recent address to his supporters.
The Supreme Court building also suffered damage during the protests and had only resumed full operations on Tuesday, with some sections operating under temporary tent facilities.