Special Provisions in the House of Representatives’ Rules for Prioritizing Constitutional Amendments

The House of Representatives has prioritized constitutional amendment bills, with the Rules Drafting Committee proposing special provisions accordingly. According to Article 274 of the Constitution, any amendment bill must be published within 30 days of submission. The new rules of the House include requirements that constitutional amendment bills must secure a two-thirds majority in both houses and provide for a joint session if necessary. Kathmandu, 23 May.

The House of Representatives has placed constitutional amendments as a top priority. The Rules Drafting Committee has incorporated essential special regulations in the proposed rules. Rule 140 of the submitted rules addresses the management of constitutional amendment bills. Per Article 274 of the Constitution, any constitutional amendment bill presented to Parliament must be publicly published by the Secretary-General or, in their absence, the Secretary within 30 days to inform the public. Such a bill may then be presented at any session held at least seven days after the publication.

Article 274 contains explicit provisions related to constitutional amendments. Subsection (1) stipulates that amendments cannot contradict Nepal’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, or the sovereign authority vested in the people. Apart from this stipulation, bills proposing amendments or repeals of other articles can be submitted to either house of the Federal Parliament. Bills submitted must be publicly published for public information within 30 days in the relevant house.

According to Article 274, subsection (4), if a bill concerns changes in provincial boundaries or matters listed in Schedule 6, the Speaker or Chairperson must send the bill to the concerned provincial assembly for consent within 30 days of the house’s operation. This provision is also included in the House of Representatives’ new rules. If a majority of the provincial assembly rejects the bill and notifies the house within the 30-day period, the bill becomes inactive, and no further action on it will be taken.