KATHMANDU, Oct 11: President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Tuesday appointed three justices for Supreme Court as per the recommendation of the Judicial Council. 

Bam Kumar Shrestha, Dambar Bahadur Shahi and Tankar Bahadur Moktan have been appointed as justices of the apex court. Shrestha was working as chief judge at Tulsipur High Court while Shahi was chief judge at Surkhet High Court and Moktan was at Patan High Court.
 
Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-appointed justices in the presence of President Bhandari.
 
The justices have been appointed at a time when hearing on a writ petition filed at the Supreme Court against the appointment of 11 justices some one-and-half years ago has been deferred citing justices' conflict of interest.  

The scheduled hearing on the writ petition was deferred after it was revealed that the justice scheduled to hear the case is a member of the Judicial Council (JC), the body responsible for appointing justices.

The court administration had assigned Justice Deepak Raj Joshee to conduct the hearing on the writ petition. But Justice Joshee refused to take up the case arguing that he represents the JC as its member in the capacity of the senior-most justice and his hearing of the case would amount to conflict of interest. 

 
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