The Supreme Court has summoned CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to be present before the court within three days and furnish a reply regarding a contempt of court case charged against him.

A single bench of acting Chief Justice Sushila Karki issued such order on Tuesday in a hearing over a a case filed by Advocate Dinesh Tripathi against Dahal on May 16 as per the SC Regulations Section 7(1) seeking maximum sentence of one year in prison and Rs10,000 in fine.

Tripathi in his complaint had claimed that Dahal’s remarks against the Supreme Court hearing regarding the conflict-era cases has gravely defamed the Apex court of the country.

According to Advocate Tripathi, Dahal in a programme had remarked that SC intervening war-era cases was a conspiracy against the Comprehensive Peace Process as the cases were to be handled by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Dahal had rejected to abide by the SC ruling demanding that the judiciary accept the transformation process.

“The judiciary is being prepared to hear the war-era cases in order to sabotage the peace process,” read the complaint quoting Dahal during the programme.