Kathmandu, Aug. 5 -- A special parliamentary committee investigating the tampering of the 'cooling-off period' clause in the Federal Civil Service Bill has submitted its final report, concluding that Ramhari Khatiwada, chair of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, should bear moral responsibility for the error.

The report, made public on Tuesday after being handed over to Speaker Devraj Ghimire by committee chair and Nepali Congress lawmaker Jeevan Pariyar, raises serious concerns over how the originally agreed-upon provision was diluted as well as over the conduct of top bureaucrats who opposed it.

The clause in question prohibits retired or resigned civil servants from being appointed to constitutional, diplomatic, or gove...