The meeting decided to form a taskforce to settle the concerns raised by the NBA and to improve the bar-bench relationship.
KATHMANDU, Jan 31: Chief Justice Sushila Karki on Monday held a meeting with the representatives of the Nepal Bar Association as the umbrella organization of the lawyers across the country announced protest programs against the Judicial Council's recommendation for 80 high court judges along with other concerns regarding the bar-bench relationship.
NBA decides to recall Judicial Council member Shrestha
According to NBA General Secretary Khamma Bahadur Khati, the meeting with the chief justice decided to form a taskforce to settle the concerns raised by the NBA and to improve the bar-bench relationship. Khati said that the taskforce include three justices - namely Hari Krishna Karki, Anil Sinha and Sapana Pradhan -- as well as NBA Chairman Sher Bahadur KC, NBA Supreme Court Chapter Chairman Sailendra Dahal, and senior advocates Harihar Dahal and Hari Upreti.
"The taskforce will come up with the ways to address NBA's concerns on various issues including the appointments in the High Courts," said Khati. However, he said that the protest programs will continue until the taskforce comes up with a solution.
NBA has claimed that the recommendations for the High Court judges contradicted the legal and constitutional provisions. NBA has announced that the lawyers across the country will wear black arm-bands on Tuesday and boycott court hearings all over the country for three hours on Wednesday. NBA has also urged the chief justice to form a constitutional bench at the Supreme Court soon through a decision by the Judicial Council.
Meanwhile, Progressive and Professional Lawyers' Association (PPLA), the organization close to the CPN-UML, has urged all its members not to participate in the NBA protests. Issuing a press release on Monday, the PPLA said that the protest programs and some of the issues raised by the NBA could harm judicial independence. However, the PPLA has also expressed reservations over the Judicial Council's recommendations for High Court judges.
