The Supreme Court has refused to issue an interim order to reinstate Kulman Ghising, the immediate past managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), who was removed from the position last month.

A bench of justices Kumar Chudal and Nityananda Pandey ruled that the issue would be resolved during the final hearing of the case stating that there would be no interim order at this stage. However, the court prioritised the case, issuing a directive to expedite the case.

With the court’s ruling, the confusion about the continuity of Hitendra Dev Shakya’s role as the NEA’s managing director is over for now.

Ghising, who had four months remaining in his tenure, filed a petition challenging the government’s decision to remove him. A Cabinet meeting on March 24 dismissed Ghising citing various allegations, and replaced him with Shakya.

The Supreme Court’s decision came after a three-day hearing on Ghising’s petition.

Ghising moved the top court on March 27, challenging the government decision and seeking its annulment.

Energy Minister Deepak Khadka and Ghising were at loggerheads over various issues mainly about recovering dues worth billions of rupees from industrialists for using dedicated power supply in the past.

On October 24 last year, NEA had cut off power to several industrial firms for their unpaid electricity bills accumulated during the load-shedding period between July 2015 and June 2020. This move drew strong criticism from the government.