A writ petition has reached the Patan High Court demanding revocation of the recent appointment of Sushil Bhatta as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Investment Board.
Advocate Jaya Bahadur Bhujel has taken a writ petition on Monday demanding the appointment be revoked through certiorari.
"Advocate Jaya Bahadur Bhujel has demanded revocation of the appointment arguing that Bhatta is not suitable for the post like CEO of the Investment Board pointing that he has been involved in leaving different projects in limbo in the past by not completing them in time, he also does not meet other qualifications, and his appointment is against the objective and spirit of the Public Private Partnership and Investment Act," Spokesperson with the Patan High Court Shambhu Prasad Regmi told Setopati.
The petitioner has also urged the court to instruct the government to appoint a competent and qualified person with a clean image.
The Cabinet meeting on August 3 had appointed Bhatta as the Investment Board CEO.
A committee formed under Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada had recommended three persons for appointment following evaluation of the proposals submitted by the candidates and interview.
The committee under Khatiwada, who is also the vice-chairman of the body formed for facilitation of foreign investment, had recommended Bhatta, Saroj Koirala and Ram Krishna Khatiwada for appointment.
The Cabinet had appointed Bhatta, who was member of the National Planning Commission to oversee infrastructure, from among the three candidates.
Bhatta's appointment has been widely condemned due to his controversial involvement in leaving different projects in limbo in the past, and many believe Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli appointed him due to his close relation with Bhatta's younger brother Deepak Bhatta.
The post was vacant after the then Investment Board CEO Maha Prasad Adhikari was appointed governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB).
