KATHMANDU, Nepal – The long-awaited hearing on the case filed by Hitendradev Shakya against the appointment of Kulman Ghising as the Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been postponed once again. The case, which has been pending for three years, was scheduled for a hearing at the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday but was delayed.
Hitendradev Shakya had filed a petition at the SC demanding the cancellation of Kulman Ghising’s appointment as the NEA chief. This latest postponement adds to a series of delays, with hearings previously scheduled on various dates since March 15, 2022, all being pushed back. Shakya expressed his frustration, claiming that he has been denied justice for the past three years.
Sources have indicated that vested interest groups were allegedly active in attempting to influence the court’s decision on Wednesday. Kulman Ghising, who has been a prominent figure in Nepal’s energy sector, has recently faced criticism and legal challenges from his adversaries, particularly concerning his actions related to the dedicated and trunk line electricity tariff dispute.
Ghising has been under fire after disconnecting the electricity supply to certain industries that had failed to clear their dues for receiving electricity through dedicated and trunk lines during the load-shedding period. These actions have brought him into conflict with powerful industrialists and political figures, leading to increased pressure on him to resume power supply to those industries.
The NEA chief was specifically targeted after advancing the process to collect Rs 7.5 billion in arrears from the industries in question. High-level sources have suggested that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli intervened, calling the industrialists whose power lines were cut off and instructing Ghising to restore their electricity supply immediately.
Furthermore, it is reported that Prime Minister Oli had also suggested to Chief Justice Bishwambhar Shrestha that the court expedite the judgment on the case.
As the legal battle continues, the postponement of the hearing adds another chapter to the ongoing saga surrounding Kulman Ghising’s leadership of the NEA and the challenges he faces from various quarters. The rescheduled hearing date has yet to be announced, leaving the outcome of this high-profile case uncertain.