Kathmandu, July 24 - Caught in a fresh row over the use of Hindi language, Nepal's vice president Parmanand Jha Friday virtually defied the order of the Supreme Court asking him to take oath of office once again in Nepali, saying he did not know Nepali.

'Nowhere does the constitution of Nepal say that you have to know Nepali to be the president or vice president of Nepal,' the 65-year-old former Supreme Court judge said after the apex court ruled his taking the oath last year in Hindi was unconstitutional and against legal provisions.

'I don't speak Nepali,' Jha said. 'I can't write Nepali. I speak Maithili, Avadhi and Bhojpuri. If I am compelled to take the oath of office again, I will take it in English.'

Jha said the court verdict was muddled, clubbing the president and vice president with the prime minister, who is a political appointee, while the other two are non-political.

'In the absence of the president, the vice president becomes the head of state,' Jha said.