Kathmandu - The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has decided to advance the resolution of disputes within the judiciary and the restructuring of the country's courts through parliamentary procedure, a move intended to bring the contentious issues before Parliament rather than leaving them to the courts and the government alone. The decision was taken at a secretariat meeting held on Saturday at the party's central office in Banasthali, party spokesperson Jagadish Kharel said. According to Kharel, the party's parliamentary party has been directed to take the required process forward in Parliament, and the mandate also covers the matter of impeachment against judges.

Secretariat meeting seals the decision

The RSP secretariat met on Saturday at the party's central office in Banasthali, where it deliberated on the disputes that have surfaced within the judiciary and the wider question of how the courts should be restructured. After the discussions, the body concluded that such matters should not remain confined to the courts and the government alone, and that the party should instead pursue their resolution through the parliamentary route.

Spokesperson Kharel publicly communicated the outcome of the meeting, confirming both the decision on the parliamentary process and the direction issued to the party's lawmakers. The announcement makes clear that the RSP intends to treat judicial disputes, court restructuring and impeachment-related questions as matters for parliamentary engagement rather than issues to be negotiated solely between the judiciary and the government.

Key outcomes at a glance

  • Disputes within the judiciary are to be resolved through parliamentary procedure.
  • The restructuring of the courts will likewise be advanced through Parliament.
  • The matter of impeachment against judges falls within the scope of the decision.
  • The RSP parliamentary party has been directed to initiate the required process in Parliament.

Mandate handed to the parliamentary party

The most concrete element of Saturday's decision is the instruction issued to the RSP parliamentary party. Kharel said the party's lawmakers have been directed to take the necessary process forward in Parliament, placing responsibility for the next phase of the party's judicial agenda squarely with its representatives in the House.

In practical terms, the direction means the party's legislators are now expected to begin whatever procedural steps are required to raise the twin issues of judicial disputes and court restructuring inside Parliament. The decision explicitly includes the question of impeaching judges, indicating that the party views impeachment-related matters as part of the same parliamentary track rather than as something for the courts or the government to handle on their own.

By routing the issue through its parliamentary party, the RSP is signaling that it wants the debate institutionalized within the legislature. The secretariat's conclusion that the problems should not remain confined to the courts and the government alone underlines the party's position that Parliament has a central role to play in settling questions that concern the judiciary.

Why the party is pushing the parliamentary route

The rationale set out by the secretariat is that judicial disputes and the restructuring of the courts are national issues that should be addressed through the legislature, where elected representatives can deliberate on them openly. The party's leadership appears to have taken the view that leaving such matters solely to the courts and the government narrows the debate and excludes Parliament from a process that will shape the future of the judiciary.

Impeachment is a case in point. Under Nepal's constitutional framework, impeachment proceedings against judges are processed through Parliament, which makes the legislature the natural venue for any formal move on that front. The RSP's decision to fold the impeachment question into its parliamentary directive aligns with that structure, and it signals that the party is prepared to engage with the issue within the House rather than treat it as a matter for informal negotiation outside it.

The emphasis on parliamentary procedure also reflects how the party has framed the issue. Rather than calling for the disputes to be settled through judicial verdicts or executive decisions alone, the RSP wants the process to run through the mechanisms available to lawmakers, giving Parliament ownership of both the debate on the judiciary's disputes and the broader question of restructuring the courts.

What happens next

With the secretariat's decision in place, attention now turns to the RSP parliamentary party and the steps it takes in Parliament. The party has said its lawmakers will take the process forward, although the details made public so far do not specify a timeline or the exact parliamentary instruments the party intends to use.

The reports of the meeting, carried by RatoPati and Nepal Press, indicate that the secretariat's decision covers the resolution of judicial disputes, the restructuring of the courts and the impeachment of judges. Together, these elements form a single package that the party now intends to pursue through Parliament.

For now, the RSP has put its position on record: judicial disputes, court restructuring and impeachment matters are issues for Parliament to take up, and the party's lawmakers have their instructions. Whether the process gathers pace in the coming days will depend on how the parliamentary party translates Saturday's directive into concrete parliamentary action.