Kathmandu, May 9
The Constitutional Council has nominated Acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki for the chief justice’s position vacant for the past several months.
A meeting of the council headed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday evening made the decision unopposed, informs Law Minister Dhan Raj Gurung, a member of the council.
Now, the parliamentary hearing committee, which is yet to be established, has to endorse his name for the appointment. If appointed, Karki will lead the country’s judiciary for around two months only as he is due to retire on August 4, 2023.
Since the impeachment position filed against former chief justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana in February 2022, the Supreme Court is headless.
While Rana was suspended, Deepak Kumar Karki took over as the acting chief justice. But Rana could not resume his position as the House of Representatives could not complete the impeachment process. Karki then retired handing over the responsibility to Hari Krishna Karki.
With the new round of elections taking place in November 2022, there was an expectation that the chief justice appointment would happen soon. However, as the parties remained busy in power games, the issue had not been prioritised yet.
