1.7 Books of Authority

The writings of constitutional scholars are persuasive sources — not binding, but routinely cited by counsel and courts. Classics: Dicey, Law of the Constitution (sovereignty of Parliament; law/ convention split); Wheare, Federal Government (the federal definition); Jennings, The Law and the Constitution; Kelsen (the basic norm — the theoretical foundation of constitutional supremacy). Nepali commentaries on each successive constitution (the standard treatments of Singh, Dhungana, Bashyal, Gyawali, Thapa, and current writers such as Bhimarjun Acharya on fundamental rights and judicial review) supply the profession's shared vocabulary. In Nepal, courts cite scholars in the rationes of major decisions — authority, not command.