Kathmandu: Nepal’s President Vidya Devi Bhandari has been admitted to Tribhuvan University Hospital after her health deteriorated. The 61-year-old President was admitted to the hospital after developing cold-like symptoms and fever, Bhesh Raj Adhikari, Secretary to the President, confirmed to ANI.
“She was facing problems in her health since Friday. She has been admitted to the Teaching Hospital. The tests are underway and reports are awaited,” the official told ANI over phone.
Bhandari, the first female President of the Himalayan country, was first elected to the post in 2015, after a second term in 2018. His second term is due to end early next year.
President Bhandari was last seen on the lawns of his official residence Sheetal Niwas on Vijayadashami on Wednesday, where he gave ‘tika’ and ‘prasad’ to his family members and eminent personalities.
Meanwhile, this September, Nepal’s top court issued a show-cause notice to President Vidya Devi Bhandari’s office for not certifying the citizenship bill passed by the lower and upper houses of the country’s parliament.
A single bench of Justice Hari Prasad Fuyal ordered the President’s Office to hand over the reason for not ratifying the bill to the Supreme Court within 15 days.
The petitioners have claimed that President Bhandari did not fulfill the constitutional obligation as per Act 113(4) of the Constitution of Nepal, which sought an order from the apex court.
The petitioners have also claimed that the President does not have the right of discretion as per the Constitution and has also asked to set precedent by the court’s decision on the matter.
Bhandari then passed the deadline to certify the Citizenship Bill sent by the federal parliament. Lalbabu Yadav, the President’s political adviser, confirmed that Bhandari had refused to ratify the bill “to protect the Constitution”.