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Supreme Court’s Interim Order On MRP
By KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
April 8, 2010: the Supreme Court of Nepal has ordered the Government headed by Madhav Nepal not to enforce the contract of printing machine-readable passports (MRPs) awarded to the Indian-government owned company not following the Public Procurement Act of Nepal until April 12, 2010; on this day, the Supreme Court will hold a hearing on this case, giving this case a top priority.
Advocate Hemani Subedi has filed a case against the government’s decision on printing of MRPs at the Supreme Curt of Nepal on April 6, 2010 stating it goes against the Public Procurement Act and against the public security, too, so has demanded not to enforce it.
Prime Minister Madhav Nepal’s government has cancelled the international bids called for printing of MRPs on January 15, 2010.
The Madhav government has decided to award the contract of printing machine-readable passports (MRPs) to the Indian-government owned company on March 19, 2010 defying the instructions of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for following the Public Procurement Act of Nepal for awarding the contract of machine-readable passports (MRPs) to the lowest bidder and doing it in a transparent manner.
Following the decision of the Madhav government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has awarded a contract of printing machine-readable passports (MRPs) to the Indian-government owned company on March 23, 2010.
On April 5, 2010, the PAC has questioned Prime Minister Madhav Nepal about his government awarding the contract of the printing of MRPs to the Indian government-owned company defying the instructions of the PAC. Mr. Nepal has replied superficially stating his government has to take such a decision because of the time constraint and of the political and diplomatic pressure.
At the same time, the National Security Council comprising senior officers of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police and National Investigation Department has urged the Madhv government to retract from the decision on awarding the contract of printing MRPs to the Indian company, as the company printing MRPs will keep the vital personal data of everybody threatening the security of VVIP people. However, it has refuted it under the pressure of the government according to the local media.
On April 7, 2010, speaking to the reporters at Itahari, eastern Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister Bijya Gacchhdar has defended his boss Madhav Nepal stating the government has decided to award the printing of MRPs in India following the consensus on it due to the delay in working of the officials at the Foreign Ministry.
In the past, Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala has even said in public that the PAC has no authority to instruct the government what to do what not to do and even went on saying the PAC comprises a bunch of corrupt members.
