Kathmandu, November 19
As the umbrella organisation of Nepali lawyers, Nepal Bar Association, continues its protests demanding Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana’s resignation, justices at the Supreme Court have agreed to introduce a new system that would curtail significant rights of not just Rana but any other chief justice in the future also.
One of the 18 justices attending the meeting tells Onlinekhabar that they have decided to urge Chief Registrar Lal Bahadur Kunwar to forward the decision to Chief Justice Rana and do needful administrative procedures to implement the decision.
Although CJ Rana was not present at the meeting, the minute reads he chaired the meeting as justices believe it would put more pressure on him to introduce the new system.
As per the new system, the chief justice, from now onwards, cannot assign cases to justices as he pleases. Instead, there will be a lot-drawing system to decide which justice will hear which cases. “This is a historic decision and no chief justice in the future will dare to challenge this,” the justice says.
One of the many accusations that Chief Justice Rana has been facing is he has been assigning political cases to justices close to him so as to issue a verdict in the party’s favour from which he can demand undue benefits.
Despite the decision, the lawyers, however, are unlikely to end their protests without Rana resigning.
