Rishi Kattel wins case, Oli-Prachanda’s CPN dismissed 

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has given the official status of the Communist Party of Nepal to Rishi Kattel.

A joint bench of Justices Kumar Regmi and Bam Kumar Shrestha gave Kattel the authority of the CPN as per his writ petition.

With this decision, the official status of the CPN with KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal as ‘Prachanda’ Chairpersons has been revoked.

After the unification of the then CPN-UML and the Maoist Center, it was renamed as the Communist Party of Nepal. After Kattel lodged a complaint with the Election Commission alleging that the party was already registered with the Election Commission, the (CPN) in parentheses was added to the name of the party.

Kattel had gone to court after the Election Commission ruled against his demand. Kattel’s case, which reached the court in December 2018, has been decided after two years.

As the Supreme Court gives official status to the CPN, the CPN headed by Oli and Prachanda will have to change its name.

Although the CPN has technically split, it has not split legally. If Oli and Prachanda do not sign a joint name, the CPN dispute will escalate into another crisis and the party’s registration may be revoked.