In an indication of the parties lingering the process, theoretical discussion in Parliament on the impeachment motion against chief of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority Lokman Singh Karki continues one month since its registration. 

The impeachment process registered last month would have been over in the next 15 days had it moved smoothly. However, frequent postponements of the House have delayed the process. 

As many as 157 lawmakers from the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) and the CPN-UML registered the motion in Parliament Secretariat on October 19 and theoretical discussion started on October 25. The deliberation on the motion will continue on Sunday before the Speaker leaves on a foreign tour the same day.

A senior leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal said the major party leaders may be waiting for the Supreme Court to decide the case against Karki. The impeachment process will end if the apex court convicts Karki in any of the three cases.

Officials at the Parliament Secretariat said Speaker Onasari Gharti wants to complete the discussion before leaving for Russia on Sunday. Nepali Congress Chief Whip Chin Kaji Shrestha said a higher number of lawmakers willing to take part in the discussion has delayed the process. “We are for completing the discussion as soon as possible,” he said, denying that the major parties want to delay the process.

If the discussion does not complete by Sunday, the process will be further delayed as Speaker Gharti will be in Russia for a week for the conference of world parliamentarians. In the three hours of the scheduled discussion on Sunday, 20 lawmakers are willing to speak. “The discussion will complete on Sunday if the number does not increase,” said Babin Sharma, press advisor to the Speaker.

After discussion, the motion will be sent to the Impeachment Recommenda-tion Committee, which will have a maximum of 30 days to look into the charges against Karki. Once the motion lands in the committee, it will summon Karki within seven days to let him defend the charges. However, he can skip the summons.

After concluding its study and investigation, the IRC will forward its recommendation(s) to Parliament which will then start clause-wise discussion. If the members of the IRC have conflicting views, a decision will be taken through a majority vote.

Committee members are free to register individual notes of dissent, which too could be put to a vote in Parliament. If any lawmaker, in course of clause-wise discussion, demands further probe, the Speaker can resend the motion to the IRC, giving it one more week for that.