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The Supreme Court has recognized the committee led by Gagan Thapa as the official faction among the two competing groups within the Nepali Congress party.
Sher Bahadur Deuba challenged the recognition granted by the Election Commission, bringing the case to the Supreme Court. However, the Court rejected and dismissed his writ petition. The court’s website confirms the dismissal of the petition.
The decision was delivered by a bench consisting of Justices Saranga Subedi and Nripadhwaj Niraula.
With this ruling, the dispute over the special convention of the Nepali Congress held in the last week of Poush (December-January), which elected Gagan Thapa as party president under the leadership of former secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma, has come to a close.
Supreme Court Deputy Registrar and Information Officer Nirajan Pandey stated, “Both writ petitions filed on behalf of Sher Bahadur Deuba have been dismissed, and the special convention has been given official recognition.”
The Election Commission had also recognized the central committee elected at the special convention. Previously, Sher Bahadur Deuba, elected at the party’s 14th general convention, along with acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka, had filed the case in court.
As the court did not issue an interim order during the preliminary hearing, the Nepali Congress participated in the House of Representatives election under Gagan Thapa’s leadership.
Some leaders from the Deuba faction also contested the elections with nomination papers signed by Thapa.
However, after the Congress secured fewer seats than expected in the election, the party’s internal disputes intensified again.
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