By Rita Sapkota
KATHMANDU: A significant incident has emerged in Nepal’s parliamentary history as after extensive discussions, the State Affairs Committee of the Parliament finalized the draft of the Civil Service Bill.
However, when the bill was passed by the lower house, it was discovered that the main provision of the bill had been altered. Originally, the draft included a provision that barred government employees from being appointed to any government, political, or constitutional body for two years after retirement—a so-called “cooling-off period.”
This provision sparked widespread debate. Government employees strongly opposed the inclusion of the cooling-off period in the Civil Service Bill and staged protests against it. However, after several rounds of discussions and negotiations, a compromise was reached, and the provision was incorporated into the version of the bill submitted to the House.
Yet, when the bill was passed by the lower house, the language had changed. The Main version of the bill was changed. The final version said that the cooling-off period will not apply in the appointments in constitutional, political, and government bodies. This discrepancy between the agreed draft and the passed bill has sparked controversy.
The whole nations is amazed on this changed held in civil service bill while table or after passing from the lower house. But no one has claimed responsibility for this alteration. Ramhari Khatiwada, Chairman of the State Affairs Committee and a Member of Parliament from the Nepali Congress—one of the ruling coalition parties—has neither accepted responsibility nor clarified how the change occurred.
Likewise, no government officials involved in the committee process have come forward. In response to the growing concern, Chairman Khatiwada has requested to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to launch an investigation.
He has also urged the National Assembly, the upper house of Parliament, to ensure that the cooling-off period provision is included in the bill during its review. Lawmakers have called the incident “more than ordinary” and have expressed serious concern over the integrity of the legislative process.
CPN-Maoist MP Yubaraj Safal has filed a formal petition in the Legislative Assembly demanding an investigation into the matter. The petition also calls for the suspension of the committee chairman until the investigation is complete and accountability is established. As discussions around the investigation and possible suspension continue, the situation remains unresolved, and the future course of the debate is yet to be determined.
