SC directs govt to conduct local elections

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a directive asking the government to conduct election of the local bodies.

A division bench of Chief Justice Khila Raj Regmi and Justice Prakash Wasti issued an order to the government to hold the election in appropriate time by making necessary arrangements in response to a writ filed by Madhav Poudel of District Development Committee Federation, Bidur Mainali of Municipalities Association of Nepal and Advocate Dr Chandrakanta Gyawali on behalf of Village Development Committees' Federation.

The SC's order comes at a time when political parties are intensifying negotiations to hold fresh election of the Constituent Assembly.

The petition had sought holding of the local bodies' elections claiming that failure of the government to hold the election promoted irregularities and corruption at the local bodies.

Local bodies have been running in absence of elected representatives since many years. Though all-party mechanism, a voluntary committee comprising of local leaders of all political parties had facilitated development works until last year, it was scrapped following the accusation of widespread corruption. nepalnews.com