After failing to recommended judges for High Courts, the Judicial Council (JC) has postponed its meeting until Thursday.

The JC has been holding meetings since Friday, and it was expected to recommend 82 judges for seven High Courts on Tuesday.

According to sources, the JC is struggling to pick High Court judges largely due to disagreement among major political parties, as they are making their bids to get “their people” appointed. Chief Justice Sushila Karki, the JC chair, who is learnt to have resisted political pressure is making a pitch for picking qualified and eligible candidates as High Court judges.

According to the sources, the JC meeting was postponed until Thursday with a view to finding an agreement between ruling coalition and the main opposition on the appointment of judges.

 “The JC meeting was postponed until Thursday for the lack of homework,” said Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ajay Shankar Nayak, a member of the JC. He, however, added that he could not say for sure whether Thursday’s JC meeting would be able to recommend names of High Court judges. The JC headed by the chief justice has five members, including the law minister.

The seniormost justice of the Supreme Court, a legal expert appointed by the President on the recommendation of the prime minister and a senior advocate or advocate with 20 years of experience appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Nepal Bar Association are other members of the JC.

Around 37 district judges are likely to be recommended as High Court judges, the sources said, adding 30 judges for High Courts will be picked from among government attorneys, officials from the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and those who have been government service.

The JC in October had called for applications to appoint judges at High Courts.

The government in September had decided to transform the appellate courts in Biratnagar, Janakpur, Patan, Pokhara, Tulsipur, Birendranagar and Dipayal into high courts and appointed chief judges there.