House committee summons CJ Rana: A chance to clear charges against him

KATHMANDU, August 31: Suspended Chief Justice (CJ) Cholendra SJB Rana will answer the 21 charges leveled against him before the Impeachment Recommendation Committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The Impeachment Recommendation Committee formed by the House of Representatives has summoned Rana, giving him an opportunity to defend the charges against him.

The committee had asked for evidence of the illegal activities done by the suspended Chief Justice Rana on August 26. The bodies or persons concerned in this matter were requested through all notices to provide the evidence, documents and information related to the impeachment allegations to the committee. After that, the committee has given him an opportunity to defend the charges against him in front of the committee on Wednesday.

Against the suspended Chief Justice Rana, 11 pieces of evidence from bodies and individuals including former judges, civil society, Nepal Bar Association and Supreme Court Bar Association have been submitted to the committee. The committee on August 24 decided to set the time to allow suspended Chief Justice Rana to defend the charges. Prior to this, they had collected the evidence.

The documents and evidence received by the committee have been distributed to the members of the committee, and the committee secretariat has drafted questions based on the 21 allegations mentioned by the 98 MPs and the evidence and documents received by the committee. According to the committee secretariat, the members of the committee might ask questions based on the draft.

If the clarification presented by the suspended CJ Rana is not satisfactory, the committee will recommend impeachment and prepare a report. Even if he is not present within the specified period, the impeachment recommendation committee has to submit its report with its recommendation to the House according to the decision of the committee.

The collected evidence mainly focuses on “instances of corruption committed by CJ Rana and illegal acquisition of wealth through corruption”.

The impeachment motion against Rana was registered based on the provision of the constitution that a motion for impeachment can be filed against him on the basis of serious violations of the constitution and laws, lack of efficiency or bad conduct, or honestly not fulfilling his official duties or serious violations of the code of conduct.