KATHMANDU, 13 July 2021 (TON): The Supreme Court, in yet another landmark verdict, overturned Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s May 21 decision to dissolve the House of Representatives and ordered appointment of Sher Bahadur Deuba, Nepali Congress president, as prime minister by 5pm Tuesday.

The five-member Constitutional Bench led by Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana said that Oli’s claim to the post of prime minister as per Article 76 (5) was unconstitutional.

Reinstating the House yet again–the court had restored the House earlier on February 23 after Oli dissolved it on December 20. The bench has ordered to make arrangements for holding the House meeting by 5pm July 18.

Monday’s court verdict is expected to end months of political turbulence, but experts on constitutional matters said the bench has minutely examined various issues raised in the aftermath of the May 21 House dissolution so as to help understand the constitution.

According to experts “the court verdict primarily has saved the constitution from unravelling, and it has also set a precedent for future prime ministers, that they cannot dissolve the Parliament on a whim and for their short-term political gains.

Said Bhimarjun Acharya “this verdict has ensured the constitution’s longevity, and with a strongly worded verdict, the court has told the authorities to stop making a mockery of the constitution.”