Government Removes 1,500 Political Appointments Through Ordinance

The government has dismissed approximately 1,500 political appointees all at once through an ordinance. This ordinance has annulled the tenures of officials across various universities, regulatory bodies, and commissions. The government has now accepted the challenge of appointing new, competent, and qualified officials on a competitive basis. Kathmandu, 20 Baisakh.

If the then-Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s chief personal secretary had not intervened, Adarsh Kumar Shrestha would not have been appointed as chairperson of the National Nature Conservation Fund and would not have faced dismissal within one and a half months. Despite lacking experience in wildlife, nature, and environmental sectors, Shrestha was appointed by PM Karki as chairperson of the fund for a five-year term. However, he was dismissed within less than two months, receiving little sympathy.

Saroj Kumar Sharma is another example; he was appointed as Member Secretary of the Social Welfare Council under the influence and preference of the chief personal secretary. Following the ordinance issued on Saturday, Sharma has also been removed from his position. The National Information Commission, which was established to facilitate citizens’ right to information, has been affected by political quota allotments. The government has amended 110 laws to simultaneously revoke over 1,500 appointments.

Senior advocate Hari Upreti states, ‘If the dismissals were made without following due process, questions would arise, but since this was done through an ordinance, which holds the force of law, the process is unlikely to be legally challenged; however, its constitutionality remains subject to scrutiny.’ There is now concern about how future appointments will be conducted.