Bridging the Implementation Gap: A Framework for Post-Legislative Scrutiny in Nepal’s Federal Parliament

Abstract

Legislative functions have traditionally been defined by the triad of representation, law-making, and oversight. However, a critical modern transformation in legislative practice suggests that these roles must extend to ensuring the actual implementation and real-world impact of enacted laws. This process, known as Post-Legislative Scrutiny (PLS), seeks to assess whether laws are functioning as intended and fulfilling their statutory objectives. With an emphasis on the PLS especially conducted in the National Assembly of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, this paper uses a doctrinal research method to evaluate the conceptual underpinning and growing practices of PLS. Although many laws in Nepal are technically sound in design, they often have an implementation gap because of missing subordinate rules and a lack of rigorous evaluation. This article analyzes six PLS conducted by the National Assembly till date and argues that institutionalizing PLS is essential for bridging the gap between legislative intent and executive execution, ultimately promoting the rule of law, government accountability, and legislative excellence.