The hearing of the case filed by former representative of Dalai Lama to the US Penpa Tsering before the Supreme Justice Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration (formerly Tibetan Government in Exile) against his sacking that is slated to begin next week and its outcome will decide if the Dalai Lama still has influence over the Tibetan community or CTA President Lobsang Sangay has been successful in sidelining the top Tibetan Lama.

Former Representative of the Dalai Lama to the US Penpa Tsering had in May last year filed a case against the Cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration for charging “false accusations” against him while ousting him from the post in November 2017. Tsering is also a strong contender for the post when Sangay’s two-term on the post comes to an end in the next two years.

The hearing of the case will begin at the Supreme Justice Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala from June 5 and Sangay is expected to arrive in the Himachal town a day before the hearing from his US trip.

The Cabinet of the CTA led by Lobsang Sangay had levelled 10-point charges against Tsering as justification for his removal from the post.

In a December 2017 press conference Penpa Tsering rubbished each allegation as baseless and he filed the case subsequently to redeem the lost prestige of Dalai Lama due to his sacking by Sangay.

“The case is a false accusation, as the Cabinet is charging me for something I haven’t done,” Penpa Tsering had told reporters, before filing the case last year in the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission through his lawyer Namgyal Tsekyi.

The Cabinet’s main accusations against Penpa Tsering concerned “trust deficit” and “dereliction of duty”.

Tsering said that he was filing the case after Sangay said on two occasions that Penpa Tsering should go to court for any misgivings.

“I am filing the case as Sikyong [President of CTA Lobsang Sangay] said on a few occasions to go to court for any apprehensions. If I didn’t go to court, there could be implications,” Tsering said.

Tsering had clarified that the appointment and termination from the post is the prerogative of the Cabinet, and he was not challenging that decision-making power of the Cabinet.

Sangay sacked Tsering soon after the Dalai Lama recognised the former as his representative. Since the Dalai Lama had already termed Sangay as his representative, he could not interefere after Tsering was sacked by CTA President apparently due to his inclination to the US administration that is keen to use the Sikyong for relieving itself from the foreign relation pressure point of the Tibetan issue sources said.

The sources said Sangay is on the verge of completing his second tenure as CTA president and wants to install a stooge as the next CTA chief in his bid to cover up any possible misdoings during his tenure.

While Sangay us quite unpopular in his community due to his leanings towards the American administration as also his machinations to curtail the stature of the Dalai Lama, the tallest leader of the Tibetan community, Tsering is considered a key contender for the post of CTA president.

If Tsering wins the case, Dalai Lama’s authority will be regained and Sangay’s stature will be diminished.

Sangay has in the past refused to comment on the controversy.

In December 2017 during a press conference, Tsering said he resigned after he received an order from

the Cabinet announcing his termination, but that the ten reasons given were not acceptable.

Tsering’s sacking came as a jolt to the Tibetan community, with social media abuzz with diatribe against both Sangay and Tsering. Tsering’s supporters even staged protests wherever Sangay travelled in Europe, Canada and the US.