Patan High Court issues show cause order over NTA Chair appointment
During the hearing of a writ petition filed by Ramdev Yadav seeking an interim order, High Court Judge Anju Upreti Dhakal mandated the government to provide valid justifications in response to the show cause order.
KATHMANDU: The Patan High Court has issued a show cause order regarding the contentious appointment of the Chair of the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA), sparking a legal challenge against the government’s decision.
During the hearing of a writ petition filed by Ramdev Yadav seeking an interim order, High Court Judge Anju Upreti Dhakal mandated the government to provide valid justifications in response to the show cause order.
Yadav filed the writ on Feb 27, seeking the cancellation of the appointment process and a halt to the ongoing proceedings.
However, before issuing an interim order, the court has called both parties for a discussion on the matter.
Bhupendra Bhandari was appointed as the Chair of the Telecommunication Authority by the government during a Council of Ministers meeting on February 18, following the recommendation of a committee led by the Communications Secretary.
A total of 25 individuals, including petitioner Yadav, submitted applications for consideration by the recommendation committee chaired by Communication Secretary Ram Krishna Subedi.
After evaluating the applicants, the committee recommended Bhandari, Shailendra Giri, and Nabin GC to the Council of Ministers.
From these recommendations, the Council of Ministers selected Bhandari as the Chairman, deeming him the most suitable candidate.
The legal petition filed in the Patan High Court lists the Government of Nepal, Council of Ministers, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Minister of Communication Rekha Sharma, the recommendation committee, and Bhupendra Bhandari as defendants in the case.
