Joshee returns to SC after five days of leave

Published On: October 2, 2018 06:00 AM NPT


KATHMANDU, Oct 2: The senior-most justice of the Supreme Court (SC), Deepak Raj Joshee resumed office again after a sick leave for five days.

Joshee, who had returned to work on September 11 after being rejected by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) for the position of Chief Justice, had taken leave again on September 25.

"He resumed office and decided three cases on Monday," a Supreme Court official told Republica. According to him, Chief Justice Om Prakash Mishra had assigned two cases to a single bench of Joshee who also shared a division bench with Justice Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada for a case relating to the amendment to a judgment they had passed a few ago. The division bench decided to grant permission to amend the decision as demanded by the petitioner.

Joshee had gone on leave after ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) lawmakers warned of impeaching him and began collecting signatures of lawmakers to register the impeachment motion against him in parliament. However, the session of parliament was prorogued on Thursday.

On September 11, Joshee had resumed office as the senior-most justice of the apex court amid threats of impeachment by certain ruling party leaders. The ruling party leaders had conveyed the message to Joshee through his aides that he would have to face impeachment if he chose to resume office. They gave Joshee a week to consider his resignation.

According to sources, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Bhanubhakta Dhakal also conveyed his message to Joshee to resign or 'be ready to face the consequences in parliament'.

Dhakal has also conveyed his message to Chief Justice Mishra that he is not ready to sit in the meetings of the Judicial Council (JC) and Judicial Service Commission with Joshee. The JC meeting held on Wednesday in the absence of Joshee decided to appoint two senior officials to the judicial service.

Family sources, however, claimed that Joshee will work as the senior-most justice of the SC and will not tender his resignation.


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