In a Setback for PM Oli, Nepal's Supreme Court Overturns Decision to Dissolve Parliament

Nepal's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the country's lower house, which had been dissolved in an 'unconstitutional decision' by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli in December, must be reconvened within the next 13 days.

The decision by the five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana, came almost two months after a clutch of petitions against Oli’s decision was filed in the court.

Oli’s unilateral decision to dissolve parliament on 20 December and subsequently call for two-phase snap polls on 30 April and 10 May had reached the Supreme Court on 25 December. The country's President Bidya Devi Bhandari also backed Oli's decision, as she contested the charges that decision had been "unconstitutional" in the first place.

The controversial move, which legal experts say is against the mandate of the country’s constitution, had led to a split in the ruling party as well as street protests across the country.

The dissenting faction of the ruling group, headed by two former Prime Ministers, Pushpa Kumar Dahal Prachanda and Madhav Kumar Nepal, ousted Oli from group last month, weeks after seeking an explanation for his decision.

However, Nepal’s Election Commission has steadfastly stood by the Prime Minister, as it refused to legitimised his ouster and started preparations for the polls.