KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has scheduled ongoing hearings for the case concerning the appointment of 52 officials to various constitutional bodies, with proceedings still underway.

On Tuesday, the opposition presented its arguments throughout the day, marking the 10th hearing since the case was initially filed on Magh 30.

This hearing is part of the final stages of a dispute that has lasted for four years. However, the extended hearings have begun to interfere with other pressing constitutional matters currently before the bench.

In response to this, Chief Justice Prakashman Singh Raut has instructed the Supreme Court administration to reschedule hearings for other cases on Wednesday, with the constitutional appointment dispute being deferred to Thursday’s session.

The prolonged hearings are beginning to impact the functioning of key constitutional bodies, including the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Nepal’s anti-corruption agency.

The controversy began four years ago when, under Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s administration, 52 individuals were appointed to various constitutional commissions, including the CIAA.

These appointments were later challenged as illegal, prompting advocate Om Prakash Aryal to file the first writ petition on Poush 1, 2077, asserting that the appointments were unlawful.

Since then, 14 additional petitions have been filed, and all cases have been consolidated into the ongoing hearing.