The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has withheld the renewal file of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), an organization of Nepali people living in 86 countries around the globe, for the last five months.

Even though the NRNA has completed all the procedures and submitted the necessary documents and fees on August 25, the ministry has not renewed it to date.

Section 16 of the Non-Resident Nepali Act, 2008, and Section 12 of the Non-Resident Nepali Rules, 209, have laid down a provision to renew the association every 10 years by paying a fee of 5,000 rupees.

According to this provision, the Association had submitted the file to the ministry last August. The file with registration number 499 was sent to the Department of Policy, Planning, Development, Diplomacy and Overseas Nepali Affairs of the Ministry, but after an unexpected delay in the renewal, a delegation of the then office-bearers of the Association had held talks with the officials of the Department on September 4.

After the discussion with the officials of the Department, the Association also submitted the additional documents requested on September 11. However, the ministry has neither rejected the application nor given the renewal certificate. The renewal file has been withheld without giving clear reasons.

A writ petition was filed in the High Court, Patan on December 27 by the Association after the ministry withheld the renewal file for no clear reasons.

Hearing on the petition, a single bench of Judge Narayan Prasad Regmi on December 28 issued a show cause order for withholding the file.