Dialogue Details
Legislative Interrelationship and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Program
Legislative Interrelationship and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Program
On May 3, 2025, the Federalism and Localization Centre (FLC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law of Bagmati Province, organized a thematic discussion in Kathmandu on “Legislative Interrelationship and Post-Legislative Scrutiny.”
Hon. Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya, Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, served as the chief guest. He highlighted that while the constitutional framework provides guidance for legislative practices across all three tiers of government, practical challenges persist. He informed the audience that efforts are underway to amend several laws, including the introduction of anticipatory bail provisions to safeguard individuals from being denied justice.
Special guest Hon. Bimala Ghimire, Vice Chairperson of the National Assembly, stressed the need to prioritize the drafting of pending legislation. She noted that although laws are often passed through due process, their implementation and effectiveness are seldom examined. In the absence of post-legislative scrutiny, she warned, laws may fail to reflect the needs and sentiments of the public they are meant to serve.
The program was chaired by Hon. Suraj Chandra Lamichhane, Minister for Internal Affairs and Law of Bagmati Province. Alongside him, Hon. Revati Raman Bhandari, Minister for Internal Affairs and Law of Koshi Province, emphasized that laws must be based on justification, necessity, feasibility, and jurisdiction. They reiterated that the primary responsibility for evaluating a law’s effectiveness lies with the respective ministry.
Gopi Bahadur Achhami, Chief Whip of the opposition party in the National Assembly, also addressed the gathering. He underscored the growing need to introduce non-governmental bills that align with the spirit of change and federalism.
At the program, federal parliamentarians Garima Shah and Ganga Belbase, Chair of Industry, Tourism and Environment Committee, Ananda kumar Shrestha, provincial parliamentarians Uddhav Thapa and Prabhat Tamang, Bagmati Province's Communication Registrar Revati Sapkota, Harihar Pokhrel, official from federal government and the province's Economic Affairs Secretary Krishna Prasad Mainali, Ram Kumar Paudel, Secretary Provincial Assembly, Bagmati Province shared their respective perspectives. Konjyosom Rural Municipality President Krishna Man Lama and professors and students from the legal fraternity made remarks about the legislative processes and highlighted challenges in the post-legislative scrutiny.
Four thematic papers were presented during the event. Dr. Khimlal Devkota, Chairperson of FLC and former Member of Parliament, presented on “Measurement of Laws: Its Application in Nepal and Future Tasks.” Dr. Rojnath Pandey, Secretary of the Federal Parliament Secretariat, presented a paper on “Legislative Interrelations.” Ram Krishna Pathak, Under Secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law of Bagmati Province, shared insights on “Provincial Legislative Practices.” Rajendra Pyakurel, Executive Director of the National Association of Rural Municipalities (NARMIN), discussed “Local Government Legislative Practices.”
Comments on the papers were provided by key figures including Mahadev Pantha, Chief Secretary of Bagmati Province; Chiring Dorje Lama, Chairperson of the Provincial Affairs Committee of Bagmati Province Assembly; and Dr. Bharat Raj Gautam, former Secretary-General of the Federal Parliament, who also summarized the program.
The event saw the active participation of federal and provincial parliamentarians, senior government officials from all three tiers, and representatives from civil society. The session was moderated by Prahlad Lamichhane, Program Director at FLC.
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