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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Nepal's amended citizenship bill paves way to acquire citizenship in mother's name- even if father's identity is unknown
Nepal on Saturday endorsed the Nepal Citizenship Bill (Second Amendment), which paves the way to acquire citizenship in the mother's name--even if the father's identity is unknown. The bill was endorsed by a majority of the lawmakers who took part in the deliberation. The significant move is being hailed as a step towards ensuring equality in citizenship rights, as lawmakers endorsed it in the House of Representatives (HoR). The bill, tabled by Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak , seeks to end years of uncertainty for children born to Nepali mothers by allowing them to acquire citizenship in their mother's name. While presenting the bill, Minister Lekhak stated that this long-awaited legislation addresses legal loopholes and incorporates several landmark court verdicts that had instructed the government to ensure citizenship rights through either parent. He emphasized that the bill will particularly benefit children born abroad to Nepali women working overseas who, upon returning to Nepal, often find their children rendered stateless due to the lack of legal recognition. "It is a matter of granting Nepali citizenship to the children who were born in a foreign country or to our Nepali females who went abroad for employment and returned with their children or in a condition of pregnancy," the Home Minister said. Live Events The passage of this bill marks a major milestone in Nepal's legislative history and offers hope to thousands who have long waited for legal recognition of their citizenship through their mothers. Lawmakers welcomed the bill, calling it a step forward in ensuring no genuine Nepali is denied citizenship while also maintaining safeguards to prevent non-citizens from acquiring it fraudulently. Lawmaker Prakash Jwala expressed confidence that the bill would finally open the path to citizenship through the mother's name, a long-standing demand rooted in the principle of gender equality. He underlined that this law strikes a balance between granting rightful citizenship and protecting national interest. "We are creating a situation where a child can become a citizen by getting the citizenship, mentioning the mother's name or only the mother's name. That's a positive step. I once again would extend wishes to all the mothers and thank the children," Jwala said. Lawmaker Jwala Kumari Sah highlighted that the new law has been carefully designed not to compromise Nepal's national security, unity, or sovereignty. She added that the provision would bring relief to children born to Nepali mothers and foreign fathers, many of whom have remained stateless despite their strong ties to Nepal. "The status of a woman, as the citizenship is being issued only in the name of the mother, was absent in the bygone days. There used to be a mandatory presence of the father. Now with this endorsement, the mothers are also set to get the recognition equal to that of fathers. I would like to thank the proposers of this bill," lawmaker Sah said. According to the new provision, such children born to Nepali mothers abroad, residing in Nepal, who have not acquired foreign citizenship or a passport, and whose father's identity is unknown, will now be eligible for naturalised Nepali citizenship upon self-declaration, as per specified procedures. The bill also includes a provision to issue minor identification cards to children under the age of 16 if either parent is a Nepali citizen.
Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Visit visa scam: Nepal govt forms probe panel, 2 Opp parties say ‘cover-up' act
Nepal Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, who has rejected the demand for his resignation in what is known as 'visit visa ' scam, on Tuesday announced formation of a seven-member probe committee, but the two main opposition parties outrightly rejected it saying it is nothing but a 'cover-up act'. Lekhak said in the House of Representatives that the government has accepted his proposal and constituted a 7-member team headed by former Chief secretary Shankar Das Bairagi, which will conduct a probe into the alleged rampant extortion of Nepalis traveling on visit visa by the immigration authorities at the Tribhuvan International Airport. Members of two Opposition parties, the Rastriya Swatantra Party and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, walked out of the House in protest alleging that the choice of members in the panel–all serving bureaucrats — was clearly intended to shield Lekhak and others. The opposition parties, including the main Opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), had earlier demanded a probe and resignation of the Home Minister to ensure a fair investigation. However, the CPN (Maoist Centre) changed its stance and agreed to have a probe without the resignation of the minister. CPN (Maoist Centre) chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda justified the party's stand. 'Truth in the visit visa scam should come out,' he said, adding that the other opposition parties would realise later that the stand taken by the patry was the most appropriate one. Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, chief of Immigration, is under suspension and is being investigated for the scam but Lekhak, backed by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba, has all along said the minister cannot be held accountable for bureaucrats' errors.
News18
13-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
Nepals parliament deadlock ends as 3 key parties reach agreement on visa scam
Kathmandu, Jun 13 (PTI) The over two-week-long deadlock in Nepal's House of Representatives (HoR) ended on Friday after the ruling Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and main opposition CPN (Maoist Centre) reached a two-point agreement addressing the visit visa scam and immigration irregularities. The HoR session resumed after 17 days of obstruction by opposition parties, demanding the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak over alleged involvement in the visa scam. The agreement, signed by the three parties, includes full cooperation with the ongoing investigation by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) and a commitment to policy, legal, and structural reforms in the immigration and visa systems, Nepali Congress (NC) MP Bimalendra Nidhi said. Despite the agreement, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) continued their protest, saying that it was not satisfied with the deal reached between the ruling alliance and the Maoist Centre. The opposition parties, including the Maoist Centre and RSP, have been obstructing the lower house of Parliament since May 27 demanding resignation of Home Minister and NC leader Lekhak. The CIAA, the anti-graft body, during an investigation found that immigration officers at the Tribhuvan International Airport were allowing Nepalese youths seeking jobs abroad to visit a third country on visit visa without producing work permits by paying tens of thousands of rupees as bribes. The chief of the immigration department at the airport has been suspended following a raid by the CIAA. The opposition parties have alleged that Home Minister Lekhak was also involved in the scam and demanded his resignation to allow impartial investigation into the case. However, Lekhak has denied the allegation and assured to cooperate with the anti-graft body in the ongoing investigation into the immigration irregularities. Home Minister Lekhak addressed the House, denying any involvement in the scam. Home Minister Lekhak also accused the RSP of registering complaints against him by bringing fake victims in the case. PTI SBP SCY SCY First Published: June 13, 2025, 21:30 IST
Times of Oman
28-05-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Nepal Parliament in deadlock as opposition demands Home Minister's resignation ahead of Thursday's budget
Kathmandu: A deadlock has started in the House of Representatives- the lower house of Nepal parliament with opposition demanding the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak ahead of Thursday's planned budget announcement. Opposition parties started the protest demanding Lekhak's resignation citing his moral responsibility in the unfolding visit visa scam. "In the Tribhuvan (International) Airport, extortion is being made from those flying abroad on a visit visa, and there are reports that confirm that members of the Home Minister's secretariat are directly involved. It is not an ordinary case of corruption; it is looting from the people who are flying abroad in search of job opportunities and organised human trafficking," former finance minister and lawmaker, Barshaman Pun, from the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre, said on Tuesday's meeting. The anomalies were unearthed after an anti-graft agency, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authorities (CIAA), spotlighted numerous actors, including immigration officers, travel agents, and even those with controversial histories in government offices. Among those key figures, Joint Secretary at Home Ministry Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, emblematic of the system's return to a high-ranking position at TIA after a controversial tenure elsewhere, raised eyebrows. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak had appointed him as the Chief of Immigration at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), who had previously also been implicated in corruption scandals and cases. Bhattarai was transferred back to the Home Minister just a day before the CIAA raid at the Immigration office at the airport. On May 21, Bhattarai, the Joint Secretary at the Home Ministry and former Chief Immigration Officer at Tribhuvan International Airport, was arrested by police following the CIAA probe into alleged links with a human trafficking ring. He had only been transferred to the Home Ministry the previous evening. Prior to that, he headed the immigration office at TIA, where the CIAA launched a raid shortly before his arrest. The raid was initiated by the anti-graft agency following multiple complaints about officials collecting large sums of money and illegally facilitating foreign travel on visit visas. The CIAA also confiscated computers, mobile phones, and other devices from the immigration office for detailed investigation. The opposition has called for the resignation of Home Minister Lekhak, claiming he might intervene in the investigation, which also involves his secretariat members. "This is a serious issue; the Home Minister should open the way to create an environment for an impartial investigation into the case. We would request that. Until and unless such a situation is formed, all the opposition parties will not let the daily procedure (of parliament) move forward," Barshaman Pun announced further. The lawmakers cited media reports that the scam involved the collection of hefty bribes from individuals seeking to travel abroad on visit visas. The scam allegedly operated with the assistance of officials at the immigration office and had links to people in the Private Secretariat of Home Minister Lekhak. The Maoist Centre and RSP have both publicly said that Lekhak's resignation is essential for maintaining public trust in the state's ability to conduct a fair inquiry. "The question has been raised over the minister; investigations should be made, and he should resign. But we are not only demanding resignation; an impartial investigation should be made on this issue of corruption, organised human trafficking, organised crime and money laundering. For the investigation, a high-level committee should be formed to investigate the matter, till then the parliament cannot function," Shishir Khanal, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party lawmaker said. As per the lawmakers, travellers heading to Europe have reportedly paid up to NRs 300,000 to ensure clearance at TIA. These illicit payments are funnelled through coded conversations, unregistered bank transactions, and backdoor dealings involving travel agents and corrupt officials. This system functions daily and handles hundreds of cases, with about 400 Nepalis attempting to travel on visit visas each day. The operation's scale and consistency suggest institutional complicity, with minimal fear of legal repercussions until the recent crackdown by the CIAA. Home Minister Lekhak has been under scrutiny by the opposition parties following the suspicions that these funds are funnelled up the hierarchy to senior Home Ministry officials. Several media reports also had named members of Lekhak's personal secretariat being involved in the case where the fraudulent visa scheme generates illicit payments estimated at NPR 5 million a day. Many of the key personnel at the airport, including immigration officers directly involved in visa issuance, were handpicked by the Home Minister Lekhak, which the opposition claims has now become a system driven more by loyalty than merit. As the Home Minister, Lekhak bears command responsibility for these malpractices and the broader mismanagement under his watch. The controversy escalated with Lekhak's appointment of Joint Secretary Tirtharaj Bhattarai as Chief Immigration Officer at TIA. With the budget scheduled for Thursday and the house in possible deadlock, the house speaker, Deb Raj Ghimire, held discussions with leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties in his chamber on Tuesday. But the efforts were unsuccessful. Nepal has the constitutional obligation of introducing the annual budget in mid-Jestha (the Second month of the Solar Calendar), which usually falls in the last week of May. On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel was also scheduled to present the Economic Survey for the fiscal year 2024/25 to the lower house of the Federal Parliament. However, this has become uncertain due to ongoing obstructions in the House of Representatives.
