Kathmandu, June 28: The regular business of the House of Representative today was interrupted for one and half hours after MPs from the main opposition party CPN-UML raised questions regarding the outcome of the vote recounting in Nuwakot Constituency No 1 announced yesterday by the election special court.

Immediately after the start of the meeting, Mahendra Bahadur Pandey of CPN-UML seeking time from Speaker Taranath Ranabhat said that though the people of Nuwakot Constituency No 1 had elected a candidate from the CPN-UML by voting against wealth and power, a conspiracy had been hatched to take the matter to court and an act in disregard of the legal framework had taken place.

He said questions have been raised about whether or not the people should caste their vote, whether or not the Election Commission would count the votes and whether democracy would exist or not if there is disregard for the people’s verdict. The house should be serious over such issues.

Govinda Bikram Shaha of RPP said that the party had been raising its voice against rigging at different places during elections since the beginning, it was not a democratic tradition to protest against unfavorable decisions and the seriousness on the part of the CPN-UML about democracy had been tested.

Rajendra Prasad Pandey of CPN-UML said the special court was entangled in the dispute and unnecessary efforts had been made to thwart the people’s verdict.

Referring to a committee formed under the chairmanship of the then Prime Minister for scrutiny of rigging and also to avoid such practices in future, Pashupati Shamsher JBR of RPP said that raising questions in parliament over issues relating to the court is against the principle of separation of powers.

He said it was contempt of court to resort to murderous activity at court premises, it was against democratic norms to insult the court, an organ of democracy.

Following an uproar from MPs of the main opposition with objections over the views of MP Rana, Speaker Ranabhat said it was meaningless to debate over a report published in various newspapers in this regard as no authentic report had yet been brought to the house.

He also asked MPs to proceed with the regular business of the house.

As the uproar did not die down, Speaker Ranabhat gave time to Prem Bahadur Singh of CPN-UML.

MP Singh said the decision of the special court not only relates to the victory or loss of one particular individual but raises a question mark over the entire election system and legal system.

He said that his party always favoured elections free of rigging and asked whether a court can go in for rigging or not and defy the verdict of the people.

Urmil Aryal and Sherdhan Rai of the same party also expressed their views over the issue.

Opposition leader at the House of Representatives Madhav Kumar Nepal taking time from the Speaker said that his party wants to seek a legal remedy to any serious national issue and this issue will also be taken up as per the laws.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the verdict of the special court on the basis of a vote recount in the election from Nuwakot Constituency No. 1 and said the judicial process had not ended.

We want a check and balance system in multi-party democracy, he said and asked whether the system set out for this very purpose will be long lasting if the verdicts from an institution set up under such a policy are disputable.

The victory or loss of any one person is not the vital thing but the court verdict should be justifiable, transparent and logical, he said and asked how the people’s faith towards the court can be intact if the court itself is involved in conspiracy some way or the other.

He said he suspected a serious plot over the recounting and verdicts which lacked any concrete basis, and for that reason the court was also dragged into the dispute.

Our concern is to safeguard multi-party democracy, and as the legislature is the supreme body, let us find its shortcomings and correct them, he said.

He also drew the attention of the Prime Minister to the conspiracies hatched to weaken democracy.

Following the statement from the opposition leader, the meeting proceeded in a smooth manner.