Office of Auditor General left without top leadership as appointment process stalls

Published On: January 29, 2024 04:30 PM NPT By: Bhuwan Sharma

KATHMANDU, Jan 29: It has been six months since applications were received for the appointment of the office-bearers of the Office of the Auditor General who audits the accounts of government offices, constitutional bodies, and courts.

As PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal has failed to call a meeting of the Constitutional Council and forward the process of appointment of the office-bearers, the Office of the Auditor General has not only been devoid of leadership but also has been led by an acting head for a long time. Auditor General Tanka Mani Sharma had mandatory retirement on May 22, last year.

In the following nine months, the two officials who took over the duties of acting head have also retired due to age limit and tenure. From Friday, officer Bamdev Sharma has taken over the duties of acting head.

After the retirement of Sharma, Rammaya Kunwar took over the responsibilities as acting head from May 22. She retired on August 3 after completing her five-year tenure as secretary.

On August 4, Maheshwar Kafle was given the responsibility of Acting Auditor General but after he retired due to the age limit of 58 years, Adhikari was made the Acting Auditor General. However, it is not certain when the trend of acting Auditor General will end.

Section 20 of the Remuneration, Conditions of Service and Facilities of the Authorities of the Constitutional Bodies Act, 2053 states, “During the entire tenure or if the post of chief officer becomes vacant, the most senior official of the relevant constitutional body shall act as acting chief officer until such vacancy is filled. However, in the case of the Auditor General, the most senior Deputy Auditor General of that department will work as Acting Auditor General.”

As the post became vacant, the Constitutional Council invited applications from potential candidates in mid-July, last year. For that, the deadline was set until August 19. By that time 16 candidates had applied.