Lawmakers demand removal of unconstitutional provision from bill to amend Mediation Act

Kathmandu: Lawmakers have asserted that the provision in the bill, designed to amend Mediation Act, 2068, for assigning the responsibility of mediation to district judge by Chief Justice would contravene Article 150 of the Constitution.

During the theoretical discussion on the bill in a meeting of Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee under the House of Representatives held on Monday, they stressed that bill should avoid such provision.

On the occasion, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, shared that the proposal has been made to entrust district judge with a role of mediator as the work of mediation is also judicial in nature.

The bill includes the provision allowing individuals who have passed the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) to serve as mediator in remote wards where human resource with Bachelor’s degree is hard to find, she underlined.

Similarly, Madhu Kumar Chaulagain, Manish Khanal, and Sajida Khatun Siddique, among others mentioned that district judge should not be assigned the role of mediator.

Lawmakers, including Smriti Chaudhary, Balawati Sharma, Prakash Chandra Pariyar, Apsana Banu, Khima BK and Saraswoti Lama requested proper management of Bhotekoshi flood victims before Dashain.

They also highlighted vulnerable situation of holding centres where the landless squatters removed from river banks in Kathmandu are being managed.

RSS