January 27: The Supreme Court has ruled that Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane is ineligible to be a member of parliament because of his citizenship issue.

As the court has dismissed him from the membership of parliament, Lamichhane will no longer be allowed to discharge his duties as the DPM and home minister.

Issuing a final verdict in a case related to his citizenship on Friday, the apex court said that Lamichhane must begin a new process to acquire citizenship after renouncing his American citizenship.

A Constitutional Bench of SC comprising Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki and justices Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada, Dr Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Kumar Sinha concluded that Lamichhane could not furnish any evidence of starting a new process of acquiring Nepali citizenship after renouncing American citizenship. Therefore, the court ruled that he is not fit to become an MP.

Lamichhane was elected as a member of parliament from Chitwan constituency-2 during the November 20 election last year. He is the president of Rastriya Swatantra Party which is currently the fourth largest party in parliament after the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre).