Valley
Hearing in IG case over, final verdict likely today
The Supreme Court on Monday concluded its hearing on a case of controversy over the appointment of the Inspector General of Nepal Police. The final verdict is expected on Tuesday.The Supreme Court on Monday concluded its hearing on a case of controversy over the appointment of the Inspector General of Nepal Police. The final verdict is expected on Tuesday.
A full bench of Chief Justice Sushila Karki and Justices Hari Krishna Karki, Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada, Ananda Mohan Bhattarai and Anil Kumar Sinha concluded the two-day hearing on Monday.
Representatives of Advocate Kapil Dev Dhakal and Deputy Inspector General Nawa Raj Silwal, the petitioners, had put forth their views on Sunday. They also pleaded against the promotion of Jaya Bahadur Chand on Monday.
Advocates pleading for defendant Chand, who was appointed Nepal Police IG, skipped the session after the apex court decided to go ahead despite reservations from Attorney General Raman Shrestha. AG Shrestha had raised questions over the inclusion of the justices involved in the previous order in the bench.
Advocate Dhakal filed a writ petition on February 10, accusing the government of trying to violate the rule of seniority while appointing the police chief. DIG Silwal moved the SC on February 12, seeking an order to put Chand’s appointment on hold.
On the same day, a single bench of the CJ issued an interim order, staying the decision to appoint Chand as the IGP. DIG Silwal has staked his claim to the post as the senior most candidate.
Meanwhile, DIG Prakash Aryal, who was one of the forerunners for the position of IGP, filed a petition that the SC should also demand his performance and evaluation file from the government.
“Since I am one of the candidates, focusing only on two candidates might not do me justice. Hence, I have urged the SC to at least review my performance,” said DIG Aryal. The SC had not accepted the petition from DIG Aryal on Sunday despite his hours-long attempt for undisclosed reasons.