Accusing the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of working in favour of the erstwhile royal regime, 21 human rights organizations have demanded that the office-bearers of NHRC be suspended immediately.

“Continuation of the term of the so-called office-bearers of the NHRC appointed on the recommendation of the committee of then speaker of the parliament, Taranath Ranabhat who has now resigned for fear of impeachment, and the detained then foreign minister Ramesh Nath Pandey,
and their [NHRC members] continuing activities have devalued the spirit of the peace people’s movement,” a press statement jointly issued by 31 human rights organizations said Tuesday.

“The human rights community believes that lack of initiation of relieving the pro-autocracy NHRC members by the seven parties and the government even after the establishment of the parliament and a new government is tantamount of belittling the sacrifice of the martyrs and the dedication of hundreds of thousands of Nepali people,” the statement signed by Sobhakar Budhathoki, steering committee member of the Protect Human Rights Campaign-Nepal, on behalf of the 31 rights groups further said.

Reminding that the Nepali human rights community had opposed the appointment process of the NHRC members as it was against the Paris Principles, they also accused the NHRC leadership of working against the human rights movement and the people’s movement at the behest of the previous autocratic regime.

Those signing the statement include NGO Federation, INSEC, INHURED International, CVICT, CWIN and Advocacy Forum.

The human rights groups also called for immediate termination of the present NHRC body and action against the office-bearers and urged the government and the seven parties to start the process to form a new body.

Headed by former chief justice Nayan Bahadur Khatri, the NHRC has four other members.

Deputy Speaker Chintra Lekha Yadav (File photo)
She may not aspire to emulate all-powerful leader of Indian National Congress, Sonia Gandhi, but deputy Speaker Chitra Lekha Yadav hugged limelight by refusing the post of a cabinet minister.

Phones started ringing in the chamber of Deputy Speaker Yadav as soon as the state-run Radio Nepal announced Monday afternoon that she was awarded the plum post of Water Resources Ministry in the council of ministers headed by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. Yadav, however, declined the offer saying that she was happy with her present position.

Yadav would have been the second woman to get such important portfolio after Nepali Congress leader Shailaja Acharya who is currently in political wilderness. Deputy Speaker draws salary and benefits equivalent to that of a minister of state while a cabinet minister will have more clout and access to resources which he/she could (mis)use in future elections.

Addressing the first sitting of the reinstated House of Representatives on April 28 from the chair of the Speaker, Yadav said, “If we again fight for chair or position, people will not allow us to go scot free as in the past. Our behaviour and activities are being observed by the people minutely.”

Yadav, who led the mock parliament sessions organized in the capital valley during the pro-democracy movement over the last three years, aspired for the post of Speaker after Speaker Taranath Ranabhat resigned from the post last month. But she failed to get the support of the top leaders of the seven party alliance for the coveted post. UML lawmaker and former law minister, Subash Nemwang, was elected to the post of Speaker on May 13 unopposed.

“If those leaders did not believe me for the post of Speaker, how is it that they accepted me as a member of cabinet?” Yadav asked on Monday, in response to queries by the media personnel.

“My advocacy in favour of fair elections to the constituent assembly, restructuring of state, advocacy for inclusive democracy and institutionalization of achievement of the recent people’s movement will have wider scope while working within the legislature than sticking to the limited role of a minister,” she told Nepalnews on Tuesday. “Now, I feel at home in the legislature compared to executive.”

Belonging to the ethnic Yadav community from the Terai, Yadav was married off even when she was a child. Thanks to her family, she was allowed to continue her study in Kathmandu where her husband was also a student. She later returned to southern district of Siraha as a lecturer of Literature English. Immediately, she was active in helping destitute women and advocating for equal rights for the women at the grass roots level.

Yadav had joined student politics in the mid-eighties but did not have any idea that she would one day become a full time politician. It was only after she was elected to the parliament in 1999 as a Nepali Congress candidate from Siraha constituency no. 2 that her political journey began.

She was chosen as deputy Speaker of the House in the third parliament since 1990. Even in the middle of insurgency, she made sure to visit her constituency at least twice a year and mix up with local people. After the split in the Nepali Congress in 2002, she joined the breakaway NC (Democratic) party and was elected to the party’s central working committee last year.

Critics of Yadav within her party see her as an ambitious person who wants her share for taking part in pro-democracy movement while in office. Yadav refutes such allegations. A Madhesi and woman, she has a distinct identity. “I am satisfied with whatever I am doing now. It is a matter of principle and I will continue to fight for equality for Nepali women in all spheres of public life,” she told us.

That means she will have to prepare herself for more ups and downs in the male-dominated Nepali society and political establishment. nepalnews.com

At a time Maoists are demanding immediate dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR) and government, general secretary of the CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal, said that the present HoR should not be dissolved until the next alternative is found.

Speaking at a programme organized to mark the13th death anniversary of then party general secretary, Madan Bhandari, and organisation department chief, Jib Raj Ashrit, Nepal said, “While voices have been raised from some quarters to dissolve the HoR, others are insisting on continuing it until the next parliamentary election. Both the views are with the people’s mandate,” adding that the HoR should continue until a next alternative is found.

Nepal also urged Chairman of CPN Maoist Prachanda to immediately come to the capital for peace talks. Nepal also called on the Maoist leader to immediately stop collecting donations and taxes to resolve all the outstanding political issues on the negotiating table within a month.

“They should stop extortion to create a conducive environment for talks. We know that their cadres and armed guerrillas can survive at least for six months even if they do not resort to extortion,” Nepal said.

He added that the Maoists’ way of collecting donations was terrorizing and disillusioning the people at a time when the government was preparing for peace talks and the parliament has already made a historic political declaration.

He also made it clear that the fate of the monarchy would be decided by the people during the constituent assembly.

UML leader Bamdev Gautam said the democracy cannot be institutionalised unless monarchy is abolished.

Gautam further said that some leaders in the party were still opposing the agenda of democratic republic.

He also urged all the parties to agree to democratic republican set up of the country before going to the constituent assembly.

Speaking at the same programme, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister KP Oli said that the government would exercise maximum flexibility to create a conducive climate for the talks with the Maoists and added that Maoists, too, should refrain from activities that may spoil the talks environment.

“The forced closure of the industries and the recruitment of people in the Maoists’ militia without their consent cannot create a conducive environment for talks. The Maoists need to be sincere for talks,” said the deputy prime minister.

The Supreme Court has decided to discuss the legal and constitutional status of the historic declaration of the parliament among Justices of the Supreme Court.

Speaking at a programme organized to mark the golden jubilee celebration of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Poudel said that he will hold a discussion with justices of the Supreme Court on the recent declaration of the House of Representatives to find out whether the declaration is part of the constitution and whether it can curtail the apex court’s powers or not.

Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Poudel also expressed commitment to drive the judiciary as per the aspirations of the sovereign people in view of the changed context and time.

“I would like to commit that the judiciary will proceed ahead as per the aspiration of the sovereign people for rule of law in view of the changed context; the Supreme Court will dispense justice as per the changed time and context,” Poudel said.

The Supreme Court was first incepted in the country on May 22, 1956. The judiciary is celebrating May 22 (Monday) as the Golden Jubilee Day. The Apex Court has completed 150,000 cases during the period

To mark the occasion, the head of the country’s judiciary on Sunday released the Golden Jubilee Souvenir published by the Supreme Court.

Justice Min Bahadur Rayamajhi said the apex court should immediately decide, how to reach to the people in the changed political context.

Meanwhile, Justice Anup Raj Sharma opined that the Supreme Court can test the constitutionality of the proclamation of the parliament. Talking to journalists at the Supreme Court on Sunday, Justice Sharma also asked parliamentarians whether the proclamation is the constitutional or a political decision.

In a historic decision, the reinstated House of Representatives on Thursday declared itself “supreme” and for the first time in the country’s history– drastically curtailed the royal powers.

In a commitment by the Nepal Police, officiating Inspector General of Police (IGP), Om Bikram Rana warned all police personnel not to go against its ethics.

Issuing directives to police personnel at all levels during a function at Mahendra Police Club on Sunday, Rana said that immediate action will be taken against any policemen found meeting suspended police officers and involved in “hatching conspiracies against the force”.

The government had suspended nine senior security officials including Chiefs of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department for using excessive force to suppress the people’s movement.

A day after arriving in Kathmandu to prepare ground for ‘summit level talks’ between his party and the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) government, spokesman of the CPN (Maoist), Krishna Bahadur Mahara, has alleged that the government is not serious towards negotiations.

“The have neither announced a full-fledged negotiation team nor responded to our code of conduct. It has created confusion,” Mahara told Nepal F. M.—a private sector radio station based in Kathmandu—Monday morning.

Mahara said that the environment for talks was yet to be crated. He insisted that the government release all the Maoist detainees before the talks would resume. “A lot of political and practical things need to be done before talks could resume. The government doesn’t look eager, serious or pro-active for negotiations,” said Mahara. He, however, said his party was ready to sit for peace negotiations as soon as “environment for talks were created.”

Responding to a query by Binod Dhungel, news editor of the Nepal F. M., Mahara said allegations of extortion, abduction and continuing recruitment in the Maoist army were unfounded. “We have been looking at such allegations very seriously. Domestic as well as foreign forces that want to spoil the environment of negotiations could be behind such allegations,” said Mahara. Referring to allegations of extortion from industries based in Birgunj, he added that his party did not have a policy of raising forced donations. “Of course, we will collect voluntary donations,” he added.

Mahara reiterated his party’s demand that the existing constitution should be scrapped and the reinstated House of Representatives (HoR) be dissolved immediately. He said the basis of the reinstatement of the HoR was the constitution of 1990. “The country has moved far ahead. The 1990 constitution can’t represent today’s people’s sentiments. So, the present constitution and parliament needed to be dissolved,” he added.

The Maoist spokesman demanded that the government convene a grand political conference – which he said would be a supreme body and much powerful than the reinstated parliament. “Only then an environment for forming an interim government would be created,” he said. He, however, said as an important partner of ‘jana andolan’ (people’s movement), the Maoists were ready to help the government to move towards the constituent assembly.

“The crux of the matter is whether the SPA government understands us as yet another political party or a new regime and political force that had its own army,” said Mahara.

Meanwhile, reports say Mahara arrived in Kathmandu Sunday to prepare for negotiations with the government and also to take part in a first public meeting being organized by his party in Kathmandu on June 2. Kantipur daily reported that Mahara arrived Kathmandu from the mid-western town of Nepalgunj aboard Buddha Air along with his two ‘bodyguards.’ Security officials stopped Mahara’s body guards as they tried to board the aircraft along with their weapons. The team, however, agreed to leave behind their weapons after Home Minister Krishna Sitaula asked them to do so, the news report said.

Other members of the Maoist negotiation team, Dev Gurung and Dinanath Sharma, are also expected to arrive Kathmandu within the next two days, according to reports.

The District Court Bajhang has ordered to detain Acting Chief District Office (CDO) of Bajhang, Devi Dutta Poudel in the case of polygamy.

Poudel, who had been appointed as acting CDO to the remote far-western district of Bajhang only four months ago, married Women’s Development Officer Ms. Pramila Shrestha on May 7 as per Hindu rituals. Poudel has one son from the first wife.

Reports quoted acting judge of the District Court Narayan Prasad Ojha as saying that the court ordered to detain Poudel and Shrestha for interrogation as per the marital chapter of the Civil Code.

Representatives of civil society and women rights activists organized sit-in protest programme at the premises of District Court demanding action against the culprit during the period of hearing.

As per the marital chapter of Civil Code, the CDO Poudel could be fined up to Rs 25,000 and may face up to three years of prison sentence in the case. Similar punishment would be implied to the woman a marrying man who already has a wife. However, if she was unaware that the man had married earlier, she would not be punished.

According to the code, a man is permitted to marry a second time only if his first wife was suffering from incurable sexually transmitted diseases, was mentally retarded, became physically disabled, became blind or lived separately receiving her share from her husband. Recently, the Supreme Court dismissed the provision that a man would be permitted to marry if he could not have children because of wife’s infertility.

Nepali Congress (NC) has decided to launch a village-level campaign to inform people about the 12-point pact between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists, six-point agenda of seven party alliance and the “historic” proclamation made by the House of Representatives (HoR).

The party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting that concluded on Sunday decided to take the six-point agenda of the parties made on April 10 last year, 12-point understanding with the Maoists made on November 22 and the House’s Thursday proclamation to people at the grass root level.

The party has been preparing to send central level leaders and Members of Parliament to the districts.

The meeting has also recommended the government to provide adequate medical treatment to victims of the people’s movement and to provide sustainable livelihood programs for families of the martyrs.

The meeting also decided to mobilize party wings and units to collect data of people injured during the Jana-andolan.

The meeting did not take up the issue of summoning Mahasamiti as called by CWC member Narahari Acharya.

Saying that the central committee meeting could not take decision in the issues of democratic republic and restructuring of state, Acharya on Saturday filed a proposal calling for the meeting of the party’s Mahasamiti.

The party also extended tenure of Nepal Dalit Sangh and Nepal Kisan Sangh by six months until its general convention is held.

Nepathya – the Nepali folk-rock band of the country is leaving for Finland today to participate at the World Village Festival.

“The main reason behind selecting Nepathya for participation at this festival is Nepathya’s work related to advocating peace and democracy in Nepal during the past years,” a press release issued by nepa~laya quoted Pasi Rajander the Chairman of Finnish-Nepal Friendship Association, the host organisation and coordinator of the trip as saying.

Various local and international artists are invited to perform at the Festival with the aim of promoting multiculturalism in Finland. Nepathya will perform at the central stage of the festival on Sunday the 28th of May, the final day of the two-day Festival.

In addition to this main event, Nepathya will also perform one additional show in Helsinki at Gloria on the 31st of May. Prior to these, they will also appear for two shows at Tampere and Hyvinkaa on the 25th of May, the statement adds.

The entourage consists of 7 members which includes – singer Amrit Gurung, guitarist Hari Maharjan, drummer and percussionist Nikhil Tuladhar, pianist and violinist Suraj Thapa, bassist Subin Shakya, sound engineer Tej Limbu and team leader of nepa~laya Kiran Krishna Shrestha.

Kiran’s documentary ‘Bhedako Oon Jasto… in search of a song’, is also scheduled to be screened during the Festival.

The film accounts Nepathya’s search process of a folk melody in the Langtang region of Nepal.

After completing the scheduled shows, Nepathya will leave Finland on the 2nd of June and arrive in Nepal a day later.

Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula has said that the government will constitute a high-level commission to probe into cases of people allegedly disappeared after they were taken into custody by the state.

In response to a sit-in protest — organized by the family members of the people who disappeared reportedly while in security custody—in front of the Prime Minister’s official residence at Baluwatar on Monday, Minister Sitauala assured that the commission will be formed within a week and that the government will fully cooperate the commission to find out whereabouts of the disappeared people.

According to journalist Janma Dev Jaisi—who is also one of the family members of the disappeared people, Minister Sitaula also begged apology for the misbehaviour carried out by the security personnel towards the family members of the disappeared people while they were carrying out sit-in protests this morning.

Jaisi said they have decided to suspend their protest programmes for now following assurances from the Home Minister.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said it has received application from family members of nearly 1,000 people who have been reported as disappeared during the decade-old conflict. The Commission said majority of them were reported disappeared after they were taken into custody by the security forces.