Nepal SC Questions Power Trade Deal with India

Kathmandu, Feb 2 (PTI) Nepal's Supreme Court has issued a show-cause notice to the government about the recently signed long-term power deal with India, questioning whether the agreement requires endorsement by a majority of parliament members.

Nepal signed the Power Trade Agreement (PTA) to facilitate the export of 10,000 MW of electricity to India in the next ten years. The deal was signed during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to the Himalayan country in January.

A single bench of Supreme Court Justice Nahakul Subedi on Tuesday issued a notice to the government in response to a writ petition filed by former Secretary of the Government of Nepal, Surya Nath Upadhyay, according to Ved Prasad Upreti, Spokesperson at the Supreme Court.

Upadhyay, also a member of the Nepal-India Eminent Persons' Group, underscored the need to endorse the bilateral agreement through Parliament.

In the show-cause notice, the top court has asked the government to clarify whether the agreement is related to the distribution of natural resources and their utilisation and if it requires endorsement by a majority of parliament members.

The Supreme Court has also called for hearings from both sides to decide whether to issue interim orders.

It has asked representatives from both sides to be present at its office for discussion soon, according to Upreti.

The bilateral understanding on electricity trade was reached during Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda's visit to India from May 31 to June 3 last year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed India's commitment to long-term electricity purchase from Nepal during the visit.