KATHMANDU, Sept 20: The Judicial Council has designated chief judges at the newly-formed five high courts and judges at all the seven high courts. 

The council's meeting on Sunday designated Tej Bahadur KC, who was chief judge at the Surkhet Appellate Court, as the chief judge of Biratnagar High Court while Purushottam Bhandari, chief judge at the Janakpur Appellate Court, has been designated as the chief judge of Pokhara High Court.

Jumla Appellate Court's chief judge Tanka Bahadur Moktan has been appointed the chief judge at Patan High Court while Bam Kumar Shrestha, chief judge at Nepalgunj Appellate Court, has been deputed as chief judge of Tulasipur High Court. The council has designated Dambar Bahadur Shahi, chief judge of Pokhara Appellate Court, as the chief judge of Surkhet High Court.

The position of chief judges at Janakpur High Court (Province 2) and Dipayal High Court (Province 7) are vacant but the council has said that the appointment will be made soon.

However, the council has designated judges at all the seven high courts and all the extended benches of the high courts. The council has designated 75 judges, who were judges at the 16 appellate courts, as the judges of the high courts and extended benches.The government last week had formed seven high courts within the one-year deadline set by the new constitution to form such courts.