Miscellaneous
Constitutional Council likely to pick Rana as next chief justice
Supreme Court Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana is likely to become the next chief justice with the Judicial Council recommending his name to the Constitutional Council alongside Justice Deepak Raj Joshee,Tika R Pradhan
Supreme Court Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana is likely to become the next chief justice with the Judicial Council recommending his name to the Constitutional Council alongside Justice Deepak Raj Joshee, whose chance of being appointed the head of apex court is slim, given that his nomination was previously turned down by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee.
The Judicial Council had recently sent the names of Rana and Joshee to the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led Constitutional Council as the senior-most justices eligible for the top job at the Supreme Court. The recommendation of Joshee, according to sources, also includes the explanation as to why the Parliamentary Hearing Committee had rejected his nomination on July 27.
“Since there are two justices qualifying for the chief justice’s job, we have recommended their names to the Constitutional Council along with their credentials,” said JC Spokesperson Rameshwor Regmi.
The Constitutional Council is likely favour Rana over Joshee, as the latter’s previous nomination to the seat of chief justice was besieged by controversy due to his questionable academic credentials and lack of candour during his testimony.
Joshee was the first ever Supreme Court nominee to be rebuffed by a hearing panel. The chief justice’s post was finally given to the incumbent Om Prakash Mishra.
After his nomination got rejected, Justice Joshee continued to work under Chief Justice Mishra despite the objections raised by the MPs from the ruling Nepal Communist Party as well as other justices. His return to the Supreme Court had made matter worse, with the ruling MPs threatening to impeach him. Chief Justice Mishra retires on January 1, 2019. As per the new constitutional provision, the Constitutional Council must pick the new chief justice a month prior to the retirement of the incumbent.