The Surkhet High Court has ordered the Karnali state government to temporarily stop the responsibilities given to the employees to run the Sports Council.
The meeting of the Karnali Province Council of Ministers held on May 18 decided to appoint Jawaharlal Hamal, who is working as Deputy Secretary (10th) in the Youth and Sports Division of the Ministry of Social Development, as the member secretary of the council. The court has given an interim order not to implement the said decision immediately.
Advocates Sher Bahadur Khatri and Upendra Kumar Rawat filed a writ demanding the annulment of the provincial government's decision. On Sunday, the joint bench of Permanent Judge Krishnalal Bhattarai and Judge Matrikaprasad Bhandari issued an interim order to keep the activities as they are and not to implement them until the writ petition is decided.
The Ministry of Social Development of Karnali Province appointed Padma Bahadur Khadka, Treasurer of Nepal Cricket Association (CAN) and Ganesh Kumar Karki, former Secretary of Karnali Province Football Association, as expert members for the appointment of member secretaries of the Provincial Sports Development Council on June 14. Deputy Secretary (tenth) Jawaharlal Jawaharlal working in the Youth and Sports Division of the Ministry of Social Development to work on financial rights until the member secretary is appointed. Hamal was recommended. Based on the said recommendation, the meeting of the Council of Ministers on June 18 decided to give Hamal the responsibility of member secretary until further arrangements are made.
In Section 8 of the State Sports Development Act, 2076, provision is made in Section 12 for the appointment or nomination of officials or members. For this, the Ministry of Social Development has made a legal provision to form a three-member recommendation committee, including the secretary of the ministry and two other experts in the relevant field designated by the ministry, to make recommendations for the appointment of member-secretaries of the council. Although there is a provision to appoint a suitable person from the provincial government out of at least 3 persons recommended by the recommendation committee, a writ has been filed saying that the responsibility has been given to the employee.
The term of office bearers including the then member secretary of the council Vishwamitra Sanjyal ended on December 6 last year. But the council was delayed when the power partner party UML and Congress did not agree on who would take the vice-chairman and member secretary of the council.
