A writ has been filed at the Supreme Court against the government’s decision to increase the number of ministries.

Advocate Kanchan Krishna Neupane filed the writ on Sunday, demanding reversal of the decision as it contradicts the constitution. In his petition, Neupane has claimed that the decision violates Article 76 (9) of the new statute.

The Article 76 (9) states, “The President shall, on the recommendation of the prime minister, form a council of ministers consisting of members not exceeding 25 in number from among the members of the federal parliament on the basis of the principle of inclusion”.

The article further explains “For the purpose of this Article minister stands  for deputy prime minister, minister, minister of state and assistant minister”.

Prime Minister KP Oli is currently leading the third largest Cabinet and largest number of ministries in history. He has formed a 40-member Cabinet with six deputy prime ministers.

Advocate Neupane has also argued that the addition of ministries is expected to create an estimated financial burden of Rs 6 billion to the country. Nepal Administrative Reform Commission (1992) and Public Expenditure Review Commission (2000) suggested that the country does not need more than 18 ministries.