Constitutional Council recommends Hari Krishna Karki for the appointment of Chief Justice

Published On: May 8, 2023 07:53 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, May 8: The Constitutional Council (CC) has recommended Hari Krishna Karki for the position of chief justice.

A CC member stated that the CC meeting held on Monday unanimously recommended Karki, who is currently serving as acting chief justice, for the appointment as the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

President Ram Chandra Poudel will appoint Karki as the new chief justice following a parliamentary hearing.

Deepak Kumar Karki served as acting chief justice after the impeachment motion was filed against the then Chief Justice Cholendra SJB Rana.

Hari Krishna Karki has been serving as the acting chief justice since Deepak Kumar Karki retired in October 2022 due to age limit.

Earlier, the Nepal Bar Association (NBA) had given the government an ultimatum to appoint the chief justice. The umbrella organization of lawyers across the country warned of launching a series of protest programs if the chief justice of the apex court was not appointed soon.

The NBA delegation had separately held a meeting with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to put forth the same demand. As per the existing constitutional provision, the Constitutional Council chaired by the prime minister should recommend candidates for the appointment as the chief justice.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Dhan Raj Gurung, Chairman of the main opposition party, CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Indira Ranamagar participated in the CC meeting on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Dahal.

Due to the dilly-dallying on the part of the government to appoint a new chief justice, the apex court has been running under the acting chief justice for over a year. The inordinate delay in the appointment of a new chief justice had courted severe criticisms as a section of experts argued that it was a deliberate attempt of the government to undermine the judiciary.