Phanindra takes ministerial oath, retains previous ministry

KATHMANDU: Phanindra Devkota, newly appointed as a minister for the second time, took the oath of office and secrecy from State Chief Dilliram Bhatt.

Devkota has been assigned the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Drinking Water, the same portfolio he held previously.

After being dismissed from his position by the Maoist party, Devkota was reinstated by the Supreme Court. He had crossed the floor to support Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey in a vote of confidence on June 10.

The very next day, he was appointed as a minister.

However, the CPN (Maoist Centre) took disciplinary action against him on June 14 for not following the party whip. Consequently, Speaker Krishna Prasad Dhital read out the notice of his expulsion, leading to Devkota losing his position.

Devkota, who is a Member of Parliament from the Nepal Socialist Party (NSP), filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court on June 20 against the action taken by the CPN (Maoist Centre).

The Supreme Court issued an interim order, stating that the Maoist party could not take such action, leading to his reinstatement.