KATHMANDU: The need for National Identity cards to be shown in order to receive social security benefits has been temporarily suspended by an order granted by the Supreme Court (SC) of Nepal. On Friday, a bench made up of Justices Manoj Kumar Sharma and Til Prasad Shrestha decided that citizens shouldn't currently need to show their national identity cards in order to receive these benefits. Until a final decision is made on the subject, this suspension will stay in place.
The interim order follows a previous show cause order from July 14, issued by a bench led by Justice Binod Sharma, which addressed concerns raised in a writ filed on July 12. The writ, submitted by advocate Ram Bahadur Raut and another individual, challenged the government’s mandate requiring national identity cards for social security allowances. This mandate had led to significant congestion in district administration offices as people rushed to obtain the necessary cards.
The government initially planned to enforce this requirement in 28 districts starting July 16, but the Supreme Court's order has put these plans on hold, allowing citizens to continue receiving their social security allowances without the national identity card for now.
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