Nepal’s Supreme Court paves way for long-term export of electricity to India

Kathmandu: Nepal’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a writ petition that sought the cancellation of an agreement signed with India for the export of electricity, clearing the way for the long-term electricity trade with New Delhi.

The writ petition, filed by the former chief of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Surya Nath Upadhyaya, was against the agreement under which Nepal would export 10,000 MW of electricity to India for the next ten years.

It was rejected by a bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, Justices Sapana Malla and Mahesh Sharma Paudel, according to Supreme Court spokesperson Achyut Kuikel.

In his petition, Upadhyaya demanded the cancellation of the agreement and the immediate suspension of its implementation, claiming that it needs to be endorsed by the Parliament before it comes into force.

In his writ, Upadhyaya claimed the agreement not only relates to the export of hydropower but is also linked to the utilisation and sharing of natural resources.

However, the apex court has yet to publish the details of the verdict.

The agreement was inked between India and Nepal during the visit of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar to the Himalayan nations last year.