WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 308 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 25.3 C 0.6 C Tuesday, January 05, 2021 | 21-09-2077 Bhairahawa Jumla Oli’s claims House can’t be restored objectionable, analysts say Since dissolving Parliament, Oli has in almost all his public appearances said it cannot be revived, even though the Supreme Court is hearing the matter. TIKA R PRADHAN function, Oli reiterated the same. KATHMANDU, JAN 4 Observers say Oli, who has been reduced to a caretaker prime minister Ever since Prime Minister KP Sharma since he dissolved the House, is mak- Oli dissolved the House of ing a mockery of the country’s judi- Representatives, in a move that led to cial system by constantly speaking on a split in the Nepal Communist Party, a matter that is already with the court he has resorted to two things–vituper- of law. According to them, since the ative words for his opponents and court is set to resume the hearing and constant refrain that the House can- has even called for an amicus curiae, not be restored. no statements should be made that While bitter remarks for his former could influence the decision. fellow comrades Pushpa Kamal Dahal “It is advisable that a responsible and Madhav Kumar Nepal among oth- person like the prime minister, who is ers can be taken as his outburst exercising executive powers, respect against them in the wake of the party the court and rule of law and not split, many have wondered why Oli repeatedly talk about a matter which has been constantly–and confidently– is sub-judice,” said Balaram KC, a for- saying the House cannot be restored, mer Supreme Court Justice. “One even as the Supreme Court is testing round of hearing has been concluded the constitutionality of his move. and the next hearing has already been POST PHOTO: CHHAPAL LAMA The Constitutional Bench is resum- scheduled. If the prime minister A blanket of snow covers Simkot, the district headquarters of Humla, on Monday. Temperatures have dipped across the country as a result of snowfall and rain brought by westerly wind ing the hearing on as many as 13 peti- believes in rule of law and constitu- in mountain and hill regions. tions against Oli’s December 20 move tionalism, he should refrain from of dissolving the House on Wednesday. making such statements.” In response to a show cause notice Experts on constitutional affairs issued by the court on December 25, have called Oli move unconstitutional. Oli on Sunday furnished his explana- They have argued that the 2015 UK judge refuses tion, arguing that the House dissolu- constitution does not allow a majority Letting provinces hold grade 10 exams is just tion was a political move and that it prime minister to dissolve the House. does not warrant a judicial review. On Some have described Oli’s action a extradition of December 30, Oli said the possibility blatant attack on the constitution delegation of administrative task, experts say of the House reinstatement is not even and democracy. WikiLeaks founder 1 percent. On Saturday, addressing a >> Continued on page 2 Until provincial governments are allowed to prepare Julian Assange their own curricula, there is no devolution of ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON, JAN 4 powers as per a federal dispensation, they argue. A British judge on Monday rejected the United States’ request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying he was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected allegations that Assange is being prosecuted for political reasons or would not receive a fair trial in the United States. But she said his precar- ious mental health would likely deteri- orate further under the conditions of “near total isolation” he would face in US prison. “I find that the mental condition of Mr Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,” the judge said. She said Assange was “a depressed and sometimes despairing man” who had the “intellect and determination” to circumvent any POST FILE PHOTO suicide prevention measures taken by Until now the provinces only printed the answer papers examinees wrote on. American prison authorities. BINOD GHIMIRE ter for social development of Province KATHMANDU, JAN 4 2, although he was not aware of the decision, as it has not been approved Four years after the eighth amend- by the federal Cabinet, welcomed it. ment to the Education Act decentral- “We have been demanding authori- ised the conducting the Secondary ty for a long time,” he told the Post. Education Examination taken at the The provincial examinations end of grade 10, the federal govern- boards will be headed by the secretar- ment has finally decided to implement ies at the provincial social develop- AP/RSS the legal provision. ment ministries and the provincial Assange had been charged in the US A meeting of the Social Committee education directors will act as the under its 1917 Espionage Act. of the Cabinet agreed to allow the controller of the boards, according to seven provinces to hold the examina- the decision of the Cabinet’s Social The US government said it would tion starting this academic year. Committee. appeal the decision. Assange’s lawyers “Yes, the committee has concluded According to Junga Bahadur Aryal, plan to ask for his release from a that provincial governments should spokesperson at the National London prison where he has been held be allowed to hold the Secondary Examinations Board, it will assist the for more than a year-and-a-half. Education Examination,” Krishna provinces if necessary. Assange, who sat in the dock at Gopal Shrestha, Minister for According to Minister Shrestha, the London’s Central Criminal Court for Education, Science and Technology, details on different aspects of provinc- the ruling, wiped his brow as the deci- told the Post. “However, it needs the es conducting the examination still sion was announced. His partner Cabinet’s approval before it comes need to be worked out. Stella Moris, with whom he has two into an effect.” The provinces will now have to pre- young sons, wept. The Cabinet last week, following a pare rosters of experts to make ques- “The effort by the United States to request from the National tion papers and also grade answers, prosecute Julian Assange and seek his Examinations Board, had asked its fix dates for the examination and pub- extradition was ill-advised from the Social Committee to decide over the lish the results. start,” Assange’s American lawyer, modality of the examination, the “If we get the responsibility it will Barry Pollack said. “We hope that authority to hold it and the date to be upon us to conduct the tests of a set after consideration of the UK court’s hold it. standard,” said Sah. “We won’t com- ruling, the United States will decide Headed by the home minister, the promise on the future of our chil- not to pursue the case further.” committee has the education minister, dren.” >> Continued on page 6 law minister and women and children The process for conducting the minister as members. Secondary Education Examination Given the Covid-19 pandemic, usually starts in August with the reg- the examination will be held in istration of the students and con- June, rather than at the end of cludes in August next year with the March during normal times, this publication of results. But it was academic year. delayed this year owing to the Covid- The board had asked the gov- 19 pandemic, and as a result, the regis- ernment in November to make tration began in November. the decision on decentralising According to the National the examination since the time Examinations Board, it can pass on had come for registration of stu- the details of the registration of stu- dents but the government had dents if a decision on the matter is been delaying the decision. made. Nawal Kishor Sah, the minis- >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K TUESDAY, JANUARY 05, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Bhandari removed as NCP chief whip in Province 1 The Dahal-Nepal faction of the Nepal Communist Party also relieved Shankar Pokharel and Prithvi Subba Gurung as the party’s in-charge of Lumbini and Gandaki provinces. DEO NARAYAN SAH the province assembly secretariat, the parliamentary party. MORANG, JAN 4 said that his office had not received On Monday, the Dahal-Nepal group any information regarding the remov- relieved Shankar Pokharel and The parliamentary party meeting of al of the chief whip and the exchange Prithvi Subba Gurung from the posts the Dahal-Nepal faction in Province 1 of NCP’s representatives in the of the party’s provincial in-charge. has decided to remove Buddhi Business Advisory Committee. The group’s standing committee meet- Kumar Rajbhandari from the Angbuhang claimed that the parlia- ing held in Kathmandu decided to post of Nepal Communist Party’s mentary party meeting was held in remove Pokharel as the in-charge of chief whip. Rajbhandari is close to the the presence of 40 provincial assem- Lumbini Province and Gurung from Oli faction. bly members of the NCP. However, Gandaki Province. The meeting According to Tanka Angbuhang, assembly member Kul Prasad chaired by Madhav Kumar Nepal also the NCP’s deputy parliamentary party Shamba, who is considered to be close decided to appoint Yuvaraj Gyawali as leader in Province 1 assembly, the with the Dahal-Nepal faction, said the in-charge of Lumbini and POST PHOTO: ANISH REGMI meeting held on Sunday decided to that he was not present in the meeting Devendra Paudel as the in-charge of Pedestrians are obstructed as a worker digs a hole on a footpath to install fibre-optic cables at New Road, Kathmandu relieve Rajhandari from the post and that decided to recall the chief Gandaki.