KATHMANDU, Jan 30: Right after the government attorneys withdrew their protest programs, Nepal Bar Association, the umbrella organization of lawyers across the country, has announced protests from Monday against the Judicial Council's recommendation for the appointment of 80 High Court judges.

Issuing a press release, the NBA has claimed that the recommendations contradict the legal and constitutional provisions. NBA announced that the lawyers across the country will wear black armbands on Tuesday and boycott court hearings across the country for three hours on Wednesday. The NBA has also appealed to lawyers to boycott public functions participated by chief justice as well as functions organized by the Supreme Court and the Judicial Council. 

The NBA has claimed that the recommendation was not inclusive enough in the spirit of the constitution. Earlier, NBA had argued that the recommendations were made in contravention of the constitutional provisions and the provisions of the Judicial Council Act as the decision was taken in absence of two council members. 

Judicial Council on January 12 had recommended 80 individuals for judges of seven high courts and their extended benches. Although the then seniormost justice Baidyanath Upadhyaya remained absent in the meeting and council member Ram Prasad Sitaula, the representative of the Nepal Bar Association, boycotted the meeting, Chief Justice Sushila Karki, Minister for Law and Justice Ajaya Shankar Nayak and Judicial Council member Padam Baidik, who was appointed by the prime minister, decided to recommend 37 judges at district courts, 27 advocates and 16 joint secretaries and special class officials of legal, judicial and government attorney services as the judges of the high courts.

The NBA seemed more concerned over not taking up its suggestions as Council Member Sitaula boycotted the meeting expressing his reservations as the council didn't select advocates for the judges' position as per his recommendation.

 
• nepal bar association
 
• judicial council
 
• judges appointments
 
• high court judges