Rabi Lamichhane unfit to become member of House of Representatives: SC

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has ruled that Rabi Lamichhane is unfit to become a member of the House of Representatives.

The decision means he cannot continue as the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affiars, and Chairman of his party Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki and Justices Bishwambar Prasad Shrestha, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada, Dr. Ananda Mohan Bhattarai, and Anil Kumar Sinha ruled that Lamichhane didn’t initiate the due process to re-obtain Nepali citizenship after renouncing his US citizenship.

The bench had previously ordered the government to provide documents submitted by Lamichhane to the Department of Immigration, as well as any actions taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Immigration Department, and the District Administration Office in Kathmandu in response to those documents.

Advocates Rabiraj Basaula and others had filed a writ petition questioning the qualifications of Lamichhane to be a member of the House of Representatives. Stating that Lamichhane registered a political party, contested the election for the House of Representatives, and was elected without obtaining Nepali citizenship, the advocates sought a court declaration that his election was invalid.