FORMER BADA GURUJU KESHARI RAJ PANDEY DIED 2 NOV.

FORMER BADA GURUJO KESHARI RAJ PANDEY DEAD

Kaathmandu, 4 Nov. Former Bada Guruju Keshari Raj Pandey died 2 November, his family announced.
He was 85.
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MAOIST FEUD PEAKS
Kathmandu, 4 Nov.: As Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya registered a 10-point note of dissent in the party’s Central Committee (CC) meeting on Thursday, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal admitted that intra-party rift had reached
its climax, Kamal Dev Bhattarai reports in The Kathmandu Post..
Addressing the much-awaited and much-talked-about CC meeting that had been postponed several times by the
chairman to buy time, Dahal said keeping the party united is the biggest challenge for him now.
“Yesterday’s press conference organised by Kiranji (Baidya) to protest the peace deal shows that the intra-party rift has reached its climax,” a leader quoted Dahal as telling the meeting.
He also said he is looking for ways to manage the rift in the party and to take the dispute to the general convention for an ultimate vote. “The top priority at present is to set the party’s political course clear, which will settle the rift,” Dahal said, adding that the country is in the final stages of transition.
Dahal said differences have surfaced in the party primarily because of confusion and lack of a uniform view on the party’s political course.
The next CC meeting will be held on November 13, as Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai are going abroad. While Dahal is leaving for New York on Saturday to meet UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon and discuss development of Lumbini, Bhattarai is leaving for the Maldives on November 8 to attend the Saarc Summit. The CC meeting was postponed after top leaders agreed to hold serious discussions on all issues.
According to Maoist leaders, Dahal and Baidya have agreed to keep the party unity intact by formulating a method to manage the dissenting views. Dahal has agreed to take the views aired by the Baidya faction to the grassroots level and hold public discussions. In Thursday’s meeting, Dahal also said he is ready to review all the political line taken by the party and hold intensive discussions to chart out the party’s future political course.
The Maoist party is unlikely to split, as the hardliners do not appear ready to part ways as long as their ‘dissent isn’t stifled’ in the party.
Dahal is said to have told his core group in a recent meeting that Baidya will not leave the party. He, however, appears to be convinced that some other leaders will quit the party.
“Kiranji will not quit the party, and it does not matter if junior leaders leave,” a leader quoted Dahal as saying. “Some dissatisfied people may quit the party, but top leaders will stay put,” Politburo member Haribol Gajurel said. They expect Ram Bahadur Thapa, Netra Bikram Chand and a few other CC members to quit the party.
In their note of dissent registered at the CC, the Baidya faction has demanded clarification from Dahal on his ‘mysterious meeting with persons from foreign intelligence agencies and others.’ The Baidya faction has also demanded a review of the decision to hand over keys of arms containers, and the decision to return seized property, the four-point agreement signed with Madhesi parties, row on the party’s labour union and BIPPA signed with India.
Baidya faction’s note of dissent
• Decision to return seized property
• Party's flexible stance on constitution issues
• Dahal faction's domination in trade unions
• Dahal's 'mysterious meetings' with foreign
intelligence agencies
• Four-point agreement signed with Madhesi parties
• bippa signed with India
• Seven-point agreement
• Defence minister's statement
• Handover of arms container keys
• Regrouping of combatants
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TWO GOVT. OFFICIALS HELD FOR FRAUD

Kathmandu, 4 Nov.: Police on Thursday afternoon arrested two government officials on the charge of forging land ownership documents, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The arrestees are identified as Chhatra Devkota and Ramesh Gyawali, both non-gazetted officers at the Land Revenue Office, Dillibazar.
According to police, the duo tried to sell the land owned by Sudha Sharma and Sushila Mahat situated at Dhumbarahi to Nima Sherpa. Devkota and Gyawali reportedly prepared fake documents to pass the land in the name of Sanchita Poudel. They were nabbed based on a complaint lodged by Mahat and Sharma at the Metropolitan Police Office.
Meanwhile, all Land Revenue Offices in Kathmandu Valley remained closed on Thursday to protest the arrest.
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HEARING ON ANOTHER CA TENURE EXTENSION BEGINS AT SUPREME COURT
Kathmandu, 4 Nov.: The hearing on the writ filed against the 10th amendment to the Interim Constitution that led to the extension of the Constituent Assembly (CA) in August by three months began in the Supreme Court on Thursday, The Kaathmandu Post begins.
A full bench comprising Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi, justices Kalyan Shrestha, Ram Kumar Prasad Sah, Damodar Sharma and Prem Sharma is hearing the writ petition. Amici curiae have been asked to give their opinions on the issue.
Nepal Bar Association has decided to send advocates Surendra Kumar Mahato, Bipulendra Chakravarti and Kishore Kumar Adhikari as amici curiae to present their views on the case.
The Supreme Court Bar Association has decided to send advocates Sabita Bhandari, Meghraj Pokharel and Madhav Kumar Basnet for the same.
Arguing from the side of petitioners, Senior Advocate Devendra Nepali questioned the usage—rather abuse of—the Doctrine of Necessity (DoN) that has been frequently evoked to justify the extension of CA term.
Nepali argued that excessive use of the doctrine may change it into to the ‘Doctrine of Fraud’. Citing example from Pakistan, Nepali argued that DoN is evoked to give constitutional status to unconstitutional acts.
The atmosphere in the courtroom got little tense after Nepali used certain derogatory remarks against the attorney general (AG) wherein he argued that the latter furnished his reply a day after the court had asked him to do so.
The attorneys of the defendants took serious exception to Nepali’s remarks. Likewise, the Bench asked Nepali to make his presentation more specific.
At one point, Nepali questioned the reply furnished by CA Chairman Subas Nembang stating that the latter in his reply seemed to claim that while the assembly extends its tenure, the apex court only puts its stamp on the decision. This infuriated some members of the Bench.
Other advocates from the side of the petitioners including Sita Ram Tiwari and Bijaya Raj Shakya argued that over use of DoN had to be checked. Tiwari asked the court to set up a parameter for the use of the doctrine. The hearing will continue on Friday as well.
Bharat Jungum and Advocate Balkrishna Neupane on September 21 had filed a writ petition against the 10th amendment to the IC. The defendants included the prime minister and his office, Office of the President, CA, CA chairman, Legislature-Parliament and the Ministry of Law and Justice. The petitioner duo has sought nullification of the amendment calling it unconstitutional.
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