KATHMANDU: The Sher Bahadur Deuba faction of the Nepali Congress has filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission’s decision to grant official recognition to the Gagan Thapa group.

The petition was filed by Shrawan Kumar Shrestha, the legal representative of Nepali Congress leaders Sher Bahadur Deuba and Purna Bahadur Khadka. According to the Supreme Court administration, a preliminary hearing on the petition is scheduled for Tuesday.

The petition demands the annulment of the Election Commission’s decision, the suspension of candidate nominations for the election scheduled on March 5, and claims that the newly elected executive committee is illegitimate.