Almost four dozen appointments made in various constitutional bodies; Former Home Secretary Prem Rai picked as chief of anti-graft body (With full list)

News about the appointments comes to the public four days after the Constitutional Council meeting amid reservation expressed by the rival faction in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP)

KATHMANDU, Dec 20: Almost four dozen appointments have been made in various constitutional bodies.

The news about the appointments in a total of 45 vacant positions in various constitutional bodies including the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Election Commission, and National Human Rights Commission came to the public four days after the Constitutional Council (CC) meeting was held on Wednesday.

Sources said those recommended for the appointments include Former Home Secretary Prem Rai as the chief commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Tap Bahadur Magar as chief commissioner of National Human Rights Commission. Those recommended by the main opposition party, Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba are also included in the list of the appointments.

Sources familiar with the development said a CC meeting held after issuing a new ordinance on Constitutional Council held on Wednesday made a decision to nominate the name of Rai as the chief of the anti-graft body. The ordinance was introduced after House Speaker Agni Sapkota chose to abstain from the meeting, making the Constitutional Council meeting short of the required quorum.

The ordinance paved the way to hold the CC meeting even if there is a presence of three of the six members of the Constitutional Council meeting. Chief Justice Rana and Chairman of National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timilsina were present in the CC meeting chaired by Prime Minister Oli.

Although the appointments were made by the CC meeting on Wednesday itself, the decision was not made public until Sunday, according to sources. The decision made on the appointments has come to the public as the recommendations were registered at the parliament secretariat on Sunday.

The decision has come to the public shortly after President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the House of Representatives and announced fresh dates for mid-term elections for April 30 and May 10. This means that all those recommended by the CC meeting do not have to undergo the parliamentary hearing process.

Full list of those recommended in various constitutional bodies

Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority