KATHMANDU, Dec 16: A meeting of the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee (PHSC) is taking place today to begin procedure for conducting the hearing of proposed chief justice Cholendra SJB Rana.

PHSC Chairman Laxman Lal Karna told Republica Online that today’s meeting will issue a public notice seeking complaints against the proposed chief justice. The meeting is taking place at 11 am in Singhadurbar. “The committee will conduct the hearing after studying the complaints,” Karna said. The Constitutional Council (CC) meeting had picked Rana as the new Chief Justice of Nepal on December 14.

The CC, which is headed by the prime minister, picked Rana for the top judicial post which falls vacant on December 31 when incumbent CJ Om Prakash Mishra will take compulsory retirement on completing 65 years of age. The CC had failed four times to take a decision on the CJ appointment. Its fifth meeting held on Thursday finally decided to choose Rana as the country's 29th chief justice.

Rana was chosen superseding senior-most Justice Deepak Raj Joshee. Back in August also, Joshee's name was rejected for the top judicial position by the Parliamentary Hearings Committee. He has thus been rejected for the position for the second time. His name was forwarded by the Judicial Council a few days ago along with Rana's .

Born on December 13, 1957, Cholendra SJB Rana was appointed an appellate court judge on 15 April 1996 and a Supreme Court justice on May 26, 2014. With a diploma in law, Rana began his legal career from Kathmandu Metropolitan City as a legal officer. He joined the judicial service in 1996. Rana is a great grandson of Rana Prime Minister Bir Sumsher.

 
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