Three Nepal Bar Association (NBA) members, including its Vice President Usha Malla Pathak, have taken a serious exception to the statement issued by the Bar’s General Secretary Khamma Bahadur Khati, condemning Supreme Court Justice Cholendra Shamsher JB Rana’s decision to boycott the full bench headed by Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli.

Justice Rana has refused to be a part of the full bench assigned to hear two separate court contempt cases against Kantipur daily and anti-corruption campaigner Dr Govinda KC, arguing that CJ Parajuli has already crossed his retirement age and he should have been retired by this time.

In the wake of Justice Rana’s announcement, the NBA general secretary had issued a statement, terming his move “an attack on

judiciary”.

Now, the NBA Vice President Pathak and the members duo Bishnu Maya Bhusal and Kirshna Kumar Angdembe have issued a rejoinder to Khati’s statement, saying the latter’s response to Justice Rana’s decision contradicts the Bar’s very tenet of playing the role of an impartial mediator and maintaining the public faith in court.

The three Bar members have also called for the urgent need to resolve all disputes concerning the judiciary system.

Noting that there is a tradition of convening a meeting of Bar members to come up with a clear position on all serious matters, they have  raised a serious objection to Khati’s statement.

To take a side without the considering the opinions of other Bar members will have a negative impact in judiciary and taints the reputation of the NBA, the three Bar members have said.  The statement issued by NBA General Secretary Khati states that Justice Rana falsely accused CJ Parajuli, even though the discrepancy in the latter’s date of birth had been settled by the Judicial Council and he assumed the top judiciary post after the Constitutional Council approved him. (PR)