Kathmandu (TIP): Nepal’s former deputy prime minister and home minister Rabi Lamichhane on Sunday reacquired his citizenship certificate, two days after he had to resign following a decision by the country’s Supreme Court to scrap his status as a member of the House of Representatives for not producing a valid nationality certificate.
Lamichhane on Friday 3 tendered his resignation after the apex court’s verdict.
He re-acquired a citizenship certificate from District Administration Office Kathmandu by producing the necessary documents.
According to Lamichhane’s Press Advisor Navaraj Pande, Lamichhane “re-acquired a Nepali citizenship certificate on Sunday.” After re-acquiring the citizenship certificate, Lamichhane was re-elected as the president of the Rastriya Swotantra Party.
Lamichhane was stripped of all positions, including the posts of Deputy Prime Minister, Home Minister, member of the House of Representatives and party president after the Supreme Court’s decision.
Lamichhane had in February 1994 acquired citizenship by descent from the District Administration Office, Kathmandu. In 2014, he got American citizenship. His Nepali citizenship was automatically scrapped the day he became an American citizen, as per Nepal’s Citizenship Act.
Section 10 of the Act says any Nepali citizen who voluntarily obtains citizenship of a foreign country will automatically lose citizenship of Nepal. The Act also makes it mandatory to apply for reclaim Nepali citizenship if one renounces his/her foreign citizenship. But Lamichhane didn’t apply for Nepali citizenship after renouncing his American citizenship. (PTI)