KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court on Sunday issued an interim order preventing the government from implementing its decision to recall 11 Nepali ambassadors from various countries.

A joint bench of Justices Sharanga Subedi and Shrikanta Paudel directed that the October 6 Cabinet decision not be enforced until further notice.

The order came during the hearing of a writ petition filed by advocates Pratibha Upreti and Sunil Bhattarai, who have named the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers as the respondent.

The petitioners argued that the mass recall was politically motivated, violated diplomatic norms, and undermined good governance.

The recalled ambassadors included Nepal’s envoys to China, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, the US, and Japan.