A day after the Supreme Court (SC) quashed the Cabinet decision of appointing DIG Jaya Bahadur Chand as inspector general, experts have urged the government to appoint police chief soon to ensure a better election security. 

Deeming the protracted case of IG appointment as a biggest leadership crisis in the history of Nepal Police, former IGs and experts have warned that the leadership void will affect police personnel on the ground and the chain of command of the security force.

The SC on Tuesday directed the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to take into account merit and seniority, as mentioned in Nepal Police Regulations while promoting police officers, and stated that DIG Nawaraj Silwal is the senior most, among all the officials.

“The impact of any further delay in appointing the police chief will be seen at the operational level on the ground,” said former IG Upendra Kanta Aryal. 

Currently, the Nepal Police is being run by Additional Inspector General of Police Dinesh Chandra Pokhrel, who is a medical doctor and heads the police hospital. As an officer from technical background, he is currently involved in planning the election security and has often times expressed his dismay over the sudden switch of his role from a police doctor to the officiating head of Nepal Police at a crucial juncture. The Nepal Police remains at the forefront of election security.  

“Not having a person to lead the police force impacts the security status in many ways. The indecision should end soon,” added another ex-IG Kuber Singh Rana.

Following court’s verdict, the government has been holding a string of discussions with legal experts and leaders. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba met on Tuesday evening to discuss possible steps by the government. A Cabinet meeting was scheduled for Wednesday to discuss on appointment of new IG. The meeting was, however, cancelled.

Officials at the Home Ministry said they were waiting for the apex court’s official letter on the decision before the name of the possible chief of Nepal Police could be forwarded to the Cabinet for endorsement.