NC CENTRAL COMMITTEE CONTINUE MEETS Kathmandu, 24 May; NC central committee continues its meet Thursday for the second consecutive day with Tuesday night’s to withdraw from government. The central committee also decided not to support a cabinet decision to extend the constituent assembly (CA) decision by another three months. But Madesh Morcha also in government with Maoists is firmly behind the Maoists leading government and charged NC and UML for conspiring to dissolve the CA. The Maoists and Morcha said Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai government will resign once an environment is prepared for promulgating a constitution. nnnn RPP-NEPAL TO PICKET CA BUILDING Kathmandu, 24 May: RPP-Nepal will picket the constituent assembly (CA) building. Thursday protesting government decision to extend its tenure for another three months after 27 May. RPP-Nepal has said the decision of the cabinet of, which NC and UML are still members, was illegal and unconstitutional and against the spirit of a supreme court landmark decision that asked government either to go for a general election or a referendum if a constitution wasn’t promulgated by the 27 May deadline. NC and UML now have said the cabinet decision was illegal and even demanded resignation of the government of Prime Minister Bhattarai over the issue. NC has decided to withdrew from after joining it several days ago with two representatives. Team leader Krishna Prasad Shitaula said he is no longer in government even before the formal party decision to recall him. nnnn.. NBA ASKS PRESIDENT NOT TO AUTHENTICATE CA EXTENSION BILL Kathmandu, 24 May: A day after the government registered a bill seeking extension of the Constituent Assembly term by three months, three separate writ petitions and a contempt of court case were filed at the Supreme Court today [Tuesday], The Himalayan Times reports.. The petitioners have challenged the government decision to extend the CA term, saying the move was against an SC order issued on November 25. The apex court in its verdict had said failure to promulgate the constitution by May 27 would result in automatic dissolution of the constitution-drafting body. Advocates Balkrishna Neupane and Bharat Mani Jangum, Raj Kumar Rana, Chandra Lal Shrestha and Jagadev Chaudhari, and Kanchan Krishna Neupane have filed separate writ petitions. Similarly, advocate Kamal Raj Itani filed a contempt case against Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and DPM and Minister for Law and Justice Krishna Prasad Sitaula. Article 64 of the Interim Constitution had set two-year term for CA, but its tenure was extended four times earlier through eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th amendment to the constitution. The government yesterday registered a bill seeking 13th amendment to the constitution for a three-month extension. The move proves that ‘lawmakers see the constitution-making body as a tool to enjoy facilities and perks, not as an institution to draw up a constitution’, said the petitioners. “By registering the bill to extend the CA term, the defendants — the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Law and Justice and CA/Parliament Secretariat — have violated Articles 2, 13, 63 (7), 85, 116 (2) and 148 of the Interim Constitution. They have also disrespected the apex court verdict which is tantamount to contempt of court,” said the petitioners, who have demanded that the apex court intervene and stay the government move. Advocate Itani has demanded that the apex court punish Prime Minister Bhattarai and DPM and Law Minister Sitaula with one year jail sentence and a fine of Rs 10,000 for violating the apex court. NBA urges prez not to authenticate bill Nepal Bar Association on Wednesday urged President Dr Ram Baran Yadav not to authenticate the bill seeking an extension of the Constituent Assembly term, even if Parliament endorses the same. NBA also called on Speaker Subas Nembang not to proceed with the proposal. NBA, which said the move seeking CA term extension was against the Supreme Court verdict, said, “The government decision has made a mockery of rule of law, moral values and SC order,” said NBA at a press conference. NBA also took exception to former chief justice Anup Raj Sharma’s statement. NBA said Sharma’s statement that there was ‘no need to abide by the SC order’ was against judicial decorum and highly objectionable. Stating that the PM and the Speaker were the parties when a case related to CA term extension was being tested by the apex court, NBA said both of them deciding to go for yet another extension undermines constitutional provisions and court verdict. nnnn BUDDHA BOY TOOK SISTER HOSTATE SAYS MOTHER Kathmandu, 24 May: Ram Bahadur Bamjan, who is said to have been meditating for long for the good of humanity, has taken his 12-year-old sister hostage after his mother did not cooperate with him to apply for citizenship, it is learnt, Diwakar .Bhandari writes in The Himalayan Times from Pathalaiya. This comes just two months after Bamjan, known as Budhha Boy, freed two women his followers had detained from three months. “Bamjan (Guru) had sought my citizenship card to apply for his. But when I didn’t cooperate they took daughter Ranjita hostage four days ago,” alleged Mayadevi, Bamjan’s mother. “His followers at the Bodhi Shrawan Dharma Sangh have said they will free Ranjita only after I hand over my citizenship card.” Bamjan is in a hurry to get a citizenship certificate and a passport as he is planning to go abroad soon, sources said. The Budhha Boy has allegedly been threatening his family for the past two months over his mother’s citizenship card. Mayadevi and her another daughter Raj Kumari filed a complaint at Simara Police Office today, accusing Bodhi Shrawan Dharma Sangh of holding Ranjita hostage. They have urged police to help secure her release and sought action against Balhari Rai and Darshan Limbu of the Sangh for abducting the girl. Earlier, as the Sangh acquired a fake birth certificate for Bamjan from Ratanpuri VDC. “We did not provide our mother’s citizenship card as he had faked his birth certificate,” said Ram Bahadur’s elder sister Ram Kumari. “Although he had started meditating to spread peace, he hasn’t lived up to his promise.” When the Buddha Boy’s elder brother Dil Bahadur and younger brother Shyam went to free Ranjita on Monday, the Sangh thrashed them and detained them for a night, the family said. “I went to the Sangh and got my two sons freed. But they would not free my daughter,” lamented Mayadevi. Inspector KP Sharma of Area Police Office of Simara assured that the girl would be freed soon. “We will do every bit to punish the guilty,” vowed the inspector. Meanwhile, Sangh members clashed with Ratanpuri locals, who went to the place –– where Bamjan was meditating, on Tuesday afternoon to free the girl. The locals were outnumbered and had to retreat. Nnnn