KATHMANDU, Sept 21: The Judicial Council has made a decision to appoint and transfer district judges to positions that have remained vacant for an extended period. With only one candidate successfully passing the open examination conducted by Public Service Commission (PSC) for the district judge position, the Judicial Council has opted to fill the remaining vacancies.
During a meeting chaired by Chief Justice and Judicial Council Chairman Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, a total of 36 individuals working in the judicial service were selected as district judges, including two women. The meeting, held on Tuesday, also featured the recommendation for district judge appointments.
JC to appoint district judges through open competition
Simultaneously, the Judicial Council meeting included the transfer of 18 district judges. The council asserts that the selection of vacant district judges was made based on criteria such as seniority, merit, and efficiency, with seven judges being chosen due to their qualifications and work capacity. All of the appointed judges hold the position of undersecretaries within the judicial service.
Among the appointments, Basishta Kumar Ghimire, a Law Officer at the Water Supply Ministry, has been designated as a District Judge in Rupandehi District Court. Yognath Dhakal, Chitwan District Attorney, has been appointed to Dhanusha District Court, while Shambhu Gautam, Deputy Attorney at the Special Public Prosecutor's Office, will serve at Sunsari District Court. Dipayal Deputy Attorney Rajendra Singh Bhandari will take up his new position at Nawalparasi District Court, and Syangja District Judge Ram Chandra Sharma will transfer to Kaski District Court. Additionally, Gyanendra Itani, a Supreme Court Bench officer, has been appointed as a judge in Siraha District Court, while Krita Bahadur Bohora, another Supreme Court bench officer, will work as a judge in Kapilvastu District Court.
Furthermore, individuals currently serving as under-secretaries in the judicial service, including Sanjeev Pokharel, Indra Bahadur Kathayat, Shambhu Prasad Baral, Hiranya Prasad Bhandari, Rudra Mani Giri, Durga Prasad Khanal, Upendra Keshar Khanal, Reshraj Sharma, Lok Bahadur Hamal, Kosleshwar Gyawali, Anandraj Panta, Yadu Raj Sharma, Udhbir Nepali, Nagendra Kumar Kalakheti, Nagendra Keshari Pokharel, Mahesh Khanal, Juddha Bahadur Ale Magar, Mona Singh, Netra Prasad Bhusal, Ram Prasad Paudel, Kumar Maskey, Dipendra Thapa Magar, Rama Kant Yadav, Nil Kantha Baral, Pradeep Kumar Upadhyaya, Shiva Kumar Pokharel, Shyam Prasad Shrestha, and Usha Shrestha, who did not pass the written examination, have been appointed as district judges.
Approximately 22 more district judges are yet to be appointed, while 27 judges were designated for the high court on Friday. However, there are still 27 vacant positions for judges to be filled.
