KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court bench of Justice Binod Sharma has issued a show-cause order demanding a written explanation from the government regarding its decision to allow parliamentarians to hire private secretaries (PAs).

Responding to a petition filed by advocate Prem Raj Silwal, the court will examine claims that the new perk misuses public funds, fosters political patronage, and lacks legal standards or qualifications for appointees—citing past instances where MP assistants were linked to major scandals like gold smuggling and the Fake Bhutanese Refugee scam.