Patan Appellate Court on Wednesday began hearing on a case filed by RPP chairman Pashupati SJB Rana seeking the court’s stay order to the Election Commission not to recognise the breakaway RPP led by Kamal Thapa as the legitimate RPP.

A division bench of chief judge of the court Rana Bahadur Bam and judge Durga Prasad Uprety began the hearing. A number of lawyers pleading on behalf of the petitioner argued that the claims made by Thapa faction of being genuine RPP were baseless, according to reports.

Senior advocates Radheshyam Adhikary, Bishwa Kanta Mainali, former attorney general Badri Bahadur Karki and advocates Madhav Banskota and Ram Prasad Bhandari pleaded on behalf of the RPP.

They asked the court to issue a stay order as “the writ petitioners would face irreparable losses, if the court did not issue a stay order.”

According to them, the court should order to the EC not to give RPP’s election symbol to the Thapa-led RPP and not to recognise its candidates as the official candidates of the RPP.

RPP led by Pashupati Shumsher Rana had filed a writ petition at the Appellate Court requesting a prohibitory order against the EC to prevent issuing of the party’s election symbol (plough) to the dissident group led by Home Minister Kamal Thapa.