Current News from Kathmandu: "Girija broke the Law and Order"
President Girija Prasad Koirala's arrogance has put himself into a trouble that he never expected.
He is in a self-ruining path, which he preferred for himself. If he takes great leaps backward, his arrogance and political personality will receive a big jolt, which he, as per his habit, would like very much not to shatter abruptly. If he proceeds with his firm determination would mean that he was not a democrat in its truest sense of the term and that for him the established democratic norms and values mean little if his sentiments are hurt.
By all means, Koirala has committed a blunder of the Himalayan order by challenging the undisputed authority and the independence of the nation's apex court.
Look how he commented against the Supreme Court's ruling that went against him.
"The Supreme Court too has come under the influence of the King and that the decision made by the apex court was done at the behest of the monarch".
"I wish to suggest the Supreme Court that the entire institution should be shifted to the Royal Palace henceforth".
"I will not obey by the rulings of the court rather prefer to go to the prison straight".
This is what he said when the apex court offered its verdict last week stating that the CIAA has the authority to summon any public figure for interrogation.
A fuming Koirala made the above mentioned observations when he knew that he has no other options left other than to attend to the CIAA interrogation.
In the process, later, Koirala suddenly was told or himself realized that he had spoken what he should have not against the court's ruling.
An almost frightened Koirala, let's presume it, began making certain amendments in his former scathing remarks that he made against the court. He knew or he was told by his colleagues that his remarks might enrage the Court authorities to the extent that he could be penalized by the apex court on charges of the contempt of court.
Now look how he changes his statements.
"I mean no harm to the apex court".
"I have always taken the role of the judiciary in high esteem".
"In effect, what I told was that it appeared to me that in the absence of the parliament, the court might have come under the influence of the monarch".
"My statements were directed against the monarch but not the court".
This is how he later changed his version.
In the mean time, a few enthusiasts from the legal sector preferred to teach a lesson to Koirala for his rough remarks against the court and filed a writ petition at the court that Koirala's utterances against the court amounted to the contempt of the apex judicial body and thus he be penalized at the earliest.
The Supreme Court too came into immediate action for the judicial body could have thought that if such practices were left unchecked that might ultimately erode the credibility and the legitimacy both of the institution.
The climax: The Supreme Court has already ordered Koirala to present himself at the court within a week. SC orders also that Koirala's representative at the court will not be accepted. A stern order indeed.
Analysts now say the impending events will have charted the future course of president Koirala. If he abides by the orders of the court would mean that Koirala still has faith in a democracy. Failing to do so would mean he has the stamina still to fight a battle with the court as well which in the eyes of the lay men would mean that Koirala, a man who fought for the restoration of democracy all along his life, if attacked against his personal will, can go to any extent in even challenging the very basic tenets of a system that is democratic.
Hopefully, Koirala will abide by the orders of the court's orders. If he does so that would be fine and send messages across the country and abroad that Koirala made remarks while the ruling of the court that went against him mentally disturbed him.
The court too would do well to take care of the prestige and the popularity of a leader whose contributions to democratic system have no parallels. Indeed he is a towering political personality of the country.
In all likelihood Koirala will apologize when he attends to the court as per the orders served to him by the court. If it is so, that would work to satisfy the ego of the court.
Let's see how Koirala reacts to court's summoning him?
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