The government is to begin redistributing citizenship papers to the 34,000 Nepalis whose citizenship certificates were annulled by the Supreme Court decision some weeks ago. The citizenship papers had been distributed four years ago, under a coalition government in which Bam Dev Gautam of the pre-split United Marxist-Leninist party was home minister. Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka informed parliament about the redistribution plan after Sadbhawana Party MPs boycotted sessions to protest the Court decision, which is said to have affected NSP constituents in the tarai the most. The court had ruled the citizenship papers held by the 34,000 void due to procedural lapses in the distribution. The government then ordered the Chief District Officers (CDO) of 20 districts to seize the void citizenship certificates and to freeze all property acquired using these papers.