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The main opposition CPN-UML lawmakers obstructed a meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) on Friday. The lawmakers stood from their seats in protest and obstructed the meeting, saying that the Parliament could not start its business until the government clarified whether the 'jalahari' installed at the sanctum sanctorum of the Pashupatinath Temple is made of gold or brass. Following the protest, Speaker Devraj Ghimire gave time to the UML's Chief Whip Padam Giri to speak. Giri said that the House could not proceed ahead with its business until the government responded to the allegation made by Lekhnath Dahal, a ruling party lawmaker, that the 'jalahari' installed at the Temple when UML Chair KP Sharma Oli was the Prime Minister was not gold but brass. He reiterated that the House session could not proceed with its business until the government investigated whether the 'jalahari' in Pashupatinath Temple is made of gold or brass, and responded to the allegation. Similarly, UML Parliamentary Party deputy leader Subas Chandra Nembang said that it was not for the sake of fun that the main opposition party has obstructed the meeting, but for the seriousness of the false allegation that a 'responsible' lawmaker from a 'responsible' party has leveled against the former prime minister. The UML lawmakers expressed regret, stating that the ruling party lawmakers made a serious accusation against them that they had committed corruption by offering the 'jalahari' made of brass instead of gold. They demanded that an investigation be made to find out the truth. Speaker Ghimire time and again requested the UML lawmakers to take seats and cooperate in allowing the House meeting to proceed ahead as per the parliamentary process. Despite the Speaker's repeated requests, the UML lawmakers picketed the rostrum, shouting slogans. The Speaker then adjourned the meeting for 20 minutes after his requests went unheeded even after the sloganeering that lasted for about five minutes.  

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha has said all those accused and suspected in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam will be investigated. Receiving a memorandum from a delegation of the CPN-UML-aligned Youth Association Nepal today, the Deputy Prime Minister said that Nepali people are ashamed of the scam. "The scam has posed a challenge to a journey towards good governance, the precondition for prosperity," he said, adding that he has directed the Nepal Police to carry out and conclude investigations into the scam, unaffected by possible political pressure and unwanted influence. Thirty people, including the former Home Minister, now face charges of crime against the state over their alleged roles in the scam.  The case was registered by the Nepal Police on Wednesday. "A journey towards prosperity will remain obstructed until a nexus of corruption and commission is dismantled," the Deputy Prime Minister said. According to him, the government and police mechanism is clear about its stance against the scam and they are dealing with the matter with the determination to conclude it impartially and in a substantive way. "We want each guilty in the case to be prosecuted and no innocent be blamed for it." The Deputy Prime Minister ruled out the possibility of the protection of probable offenders on the basis of any political connection or nepotism and said that the police would bring those suspected in the case into investigation once it found evidence to suggest their involvements. Association Acting Chair Amit Lama demanded a fair investigation into the scam, urging the government not to divert the issue under any circumstances.  

Nepali Ambassador to India Shankar Prasad Sharma held a meeting with External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar on Thursday. During the meeting, the duo discussed Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s upcoming visit to India, it has been learnt. Though the formal announcement of the visit is yet to be made, a source said that Prime Minister Dhal will leave for India on a three-day visit on May 31. A source at the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi said that Ambassador Sharma and Minister Jaishankar held a discussion to make Prime Minister Dahal’s India visit fruitful. Ambassador Sharma informed through Twitter that he held a meeting with External Affairs Minister of India Jaishankar. He said that they discussed making the ties between Nepal and India even stronger on the occasion.    

The District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday filed four different cases at the Kathmandu District Court against 30 individuals involved in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam. The Attorney’s Office said that four different types of cases--fraud, organized crime, forgery and treason--were filed against them, demanding a jail term of 24 years. The Office has sought a fine of Rs 288.4 million from them. Police had submitted their investigation report on the fake Bhutanese refugee case to the District Attorney’s Office on Monday. Police had started the investigation from March 26. So far, police have arrested 16 individuals including former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and former home minister Bal Krishna Khand while 17 others including Pratik Thapa, son of former home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and Niraj Rai, son of Indrajit Rai, who served as security advisor to Thapa, are on the run.