Govt attorneys want to be given priority in judges' appointment

KATHMANDU, March 31: At a time when the Judicial Council (JC), the constitutional body responsible for recommending appointment of judges, has expedited the process of filling vacant posts of judges at the Supreme Court (SC), appellate and district courts, government attorneys have demanded that the JC appoint sufficient number of judges from among them.



They have accused the JC of being biased toward them while appointing judges in the courts.[break]



According to a memorandum made by government attorneys to the JC, only five government lawyers out of 137 have been appointed as judges in the appellate courts between 1994 and 2010. Similarly, 33 lawyers out of 149 have been as judges in the district courts during the same period.



"Discretion and a sense of justice have not been employed while appointing judges, who are responsible for delivering justice," reads the memorandum submitted by the government attorneys.



Government attorneys have demanded with the JC that they should be treated equally because they are also a part of the judiciary.



They have argued that they should be also given priority in appointment of judges as they have already under gone through test of competency before joining the government service.



Government attorneys have also warned the JC that the blame will go to the constitutional body if competent and qualified persons are not appointed to the posts of judges at the courts.



Recently, government attorneys had also drawn the attention of the chief justice toward their demands.

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