Supreme Court halts disciplinary proceedings against Phanindra Devkota, member of Gandaki Provincial Assembly

KATHMANDU, June 24: The Supreme Court has issued an interim order staying disciplinary action against Phanindra Devkota, a provincial MP from Gandaki province, who was suspended for flouting party discipline.

This decision came in response to Devkota’s petition against the disciplinary action imposed by the CPN (Maoist Centre) parliamentary party in Gandaki province.

The bench of Justice Prakashman Singh Raut ruled in Devkota’s favour, stayed the disciplinary proceedings and issued summons for the accused to appear before the court.

This order requires the opposing party to justify the measures taken against Devkota. The court’s decision provisionally protects Devkota from the disciplinary measures until further notice.

Earlier, Devkota had expressed his vote of confidence in the Nepali Congress (NC) Chief Minister of Gandaki province, Surendra Pandey. The Maoist Centre, under whose symbol Devkota had won the elections, recommended action against him and sent a letter to the provincial spokesperson, Krishna Prasad Dhital.

Devkota was suspended after Speaker Dhital read out the charges against him in the provincial assembly. However, suspended provincial MP Devkota filed a petition in the Supreme Court on June 6, claiming that he was elected in Gorkha using only the election symbol of the Maoist Centre, but he is not a Maoist Centre MP.

Devkota had insisted that he was a member of his party, the Nepal Samajwadi Party, even though he had contested the election using the electoral symbol of the Maoist Centre.