The Patan High Court has stayed the appointment of the newly appointed Executive Director of Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), Lakshmi Pun.
On January 14, Bharat Marasini of the PADT filed a writ against Pun, the former secretary of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, seeking cancelation of her appointment. She had been appointed as the executive director on December 4.
Hearing on the case on Sunday, a joint bench of Patan High Court judges Rishiram Dawadi and Shyam Kumar Bhattarai issued an interim order not to implement Pun's appointment until the next decision.
Ghanashyam Khatiwada, the former executive director of the PADT, said that the appointment has been stayed for the time being on the ground of not meeting the necessary criteria for appointment.
A meeting of the Council of Ministers held on January 4 appointed Pun as the executive director of the PADT on the recommendation of Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kirati.
