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The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday conducted a preliminary hearing on the writ petitions filed against the formation of the present government, and dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR). 

The bench denied an interim order as demanded by the petitioners, but sought a written response from the defendants including the Office of the President, seeking reason why the interim order could not be issued against government formation and HoR dissolution. 

A week's time has been given by the court to furnish the written responses.

Nearly one-and-half-dozen writ petitions were filed against the formation of interim government and HoR dissolution, making defendants to various sides, including the Office of the President. 

On behalf of the petitioners, senior advocates and advocates argued that the formation of government by inducting former Chief Justice Sushila Karki and former judge at Supreme Court, Anil Kumar Sinha, was against the Constitution. 

Senior advocate Tikaram Bhattarai, former Chairman of Nepal Bar Association, Gopal Krishna Ghimire, and advocate Khamma Bahadur Khati, pleaded that the government was unconstitutional and it must not take decisions having long term importance.

The constitutional bench comprising Chief Justice Prakashman Singh Raut, justices Sapana Pradhan Malla, Kumar Regmi, Hari Prasad Phunyal and Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma conducted the hearing on Wednesday. 

Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Kulman Ghising, who is presently in New Delhi, India, to attend the 8th General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance, held a meeting today with India’s Power Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar.

During the meeting, the two ministers discussed Nepal-India energy cooperation, power trade,  expansion of transmission lines, progress on Nepal’s under-construction power projects funded by India, and the long-term power partnership between the two countries, according to Minister Ghising’s secretariat.

Meanwhile, Nepal and India have signed a joint venture (JV) and shareholder agreement for the construction of two cross-border transmission lines. 

According to the Ministry of Energy, the agreement aims to construct 400 kV cross-border transmission lines connecting Inaruwa–Purnia and Lamki–Dodhara–Bareli.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Deputy Executive Director Subhash Kumar Mishra and Chief Operating Officer Sanjay Kumar Gupta at Power Grid Corporation of India Limited signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides, in the presence of the two ministers. 

On the occasion, Minister Ghising described the agreement as a significant achievement for bilateral and regional power trade. 

He stated that it will help Nepal gain access to the international energy market and attract domestic and foreign investment in Nepal’s hydropower development and expansion sectors, urging India to further invest in the sector.

Minister Khattar expressed the view that once the two additional cross-border transmission lines are completed, the electricity exchange process between Nepal and India will become smoother. 

He added that it would enhance regional energy security through a stronger grid and contribute to the economic growth of both countries.

Earlier, on October 16, the Cabinet had approved granting the authority to establish two joint companies: one in Nepal and one in India for the construction of transmission lines, with investment from both NEA and Power Grid Corporation of India. 

The Cabinet also approved making equity investments in these companies.

Normal life has been thrown out of gear in Manang following a recent heavy snowfall in the district.

Although security personnel have been making continuous efforts since this morning to rescue those stranded due to the snow, the lack of vehicles has made the rescue operations challenging.

According to Chief District Officer Nawa Raj Poudyal, rescue operations have already begun, but many of the available vehicles have also been trapped in the snow. There is a shortage of additional vehicles to assist with the rescue efforts.

Visitors, who were stranded at the Tilicho Lake Base Camp have been rescued, and additional arrangements have been made at Khangar to accommodate them.

Some tourists have been accommodated in homestays, while others have been placed in private shelters.

According to the CDO, all foreign tourists are safe so far.

In a long-awaited move to fulfil a constitutional right denied to millions of citizens overseas,the government is finally taking steps to allow Nepalis living abroad to vote in national elections.

To this end, the government is preparing to issue an ordinance. The Ministry of Home Affairs has already drafted amendments to several election laws to create a legal basis for overseas voting. The draft has been sent to the Election Commission (EC) for review. 

For now, the government plans to allow overseas voting only under the proportional representation (PR) system for the House of Representatives.

In 2018, the Supreme Court had directed the government to guarantee voting rights for Nepalis living abroad. In its verdict, a bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Purushottam Bhandari instructed the state to make the necessary legal, logistical, and technological arrangements to enable voting from abroad.

That order, however, remained unimplemented. Despite multiple elections since, millions of Nepalis working, studying or residing overseas have been unable to exercise their democratic right. According to the 2021 census, nearly 2.2m Nepalis live abroad.

Election officials say they are discussing all possible models of election, including early voting, polling at diplomatic missions and online voting. 

Earlier, the Election Commission had proposed piloting voter registration in the UAE, Qatar and Malaysia, where the largest numbers of Nepali migrant workers live and work.

With the House of Representatives dissolved, the government plans to move ahead through an ordinance. Once the Election Commission submits its feedback, the Ministry of Home Affairs will forward the draft to the Council of Ministers for approval.

The proposed amendment stipulates that only Nepalis registered in the official voter list will be eligible to vote. The Election Commission will gather and confirm this data with the help of Nepali embassies and other agencies abroad.

To guide implementation, the government has asked the Policy Research Institute, a state-affiliated think tank, to conduct a study on the logistics of overseas voting, including eligible countries, management systems and vote counting mechanisms.

The home ministry also aims to address concerns that people with dual citizenship might misuse the process. The revised draft clarifies that only verified Nepali citizens listed in the Election Commission’s official voter roll will be allowed to vote from abroad.

The right to vote is guaranteed under Article 84(5) of the Constitution, which ensures every Nepali citizen aged 18 and above the right to vote in accordance with federal law. Yet without the necessary legislation, that right has remained on paper for millions working overseas.The government’s latest move has rekindled cautious optimism among migrant workers.

If all goes as planned, the next elections could mark a historic moment when Nepalis abroad finally cast their votes for home.