Nepal Bar Association (NBA) General Secretary Khamma Bahadur Khati has welcomed Gopal Prasad Parajuli’s decision to step down as the Chief Justice, calling it as a respect to judiciary.

He said so while speaking at an interaction organised at the Reporters’ Club in the Capital on Thursday.

“Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli has tendered his resignation, this is a praiseworthy move,” Khati said, adding, “He stepped down to honour the judiciary and it is the need of the hour to resolve the problems surfacing in the judiciary at the present. The NBA welcomes his decision.”

He also brushed off the rumours that there is intervention in the judiciary.

“The main objective of the NBA is to fight for professional rights and to protect the press freedom. On top of that we will raise our voice against anomalies. But we are given a tag of political party,” he said. “We have been fighting for free judiciary, rule of law, democracy and human rights. Though we contest the elections from two panels, we are for free judiciary.”

He said that constitutional council is guilty behind the issue of CJ Parajuli’s academic and birth certificates.

“It is ridiculous that constitutional council has not summoned a meeting in this situation,” Khati said. “The constitutional council is the main authority to take the decision about Chief Justice Parajuli’s legitimacy to stay in the top post of judiciary. Why it delayed in taking the decision,” he questioned.

Referring to a letter issued by the Judicial Council Secretariat on Wednesday, he questioned, “Who gave the JC Secretariat the right to take the decision.”

Expressing sheer dissatisfaction over the decision of the eights Justices to boycott the bench, he questioned, “Who gave them [justices] the right to boycott the bench? Are they the leaders of Trade Union of Justices of the court?”