Chief justice nominee Deepak Raj Joshee skipped a majority of questions related to alleged irregularities in his rulings as a Supreme Court justice while arguing on Thursday that he issued no questionable verdict.

Members of the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee had asked questions for around two-and-a-half hours but Joshee responded within 15 minutes, not even getting into the alleged controversial judgment his bench had made. The PHSC, according to Chairman Laxman Lal Karna, will decide whether or not to endorse him on Friday.

Members of the cross-party committee had sought his clarification on the allegation of awarding public land in Handigaun and Baluwatar to individuals through fallacious orders. They also questioned his ruling allowing two casinos to operate.

Issuing an interim order, the SC had allowed casinos closed by the government to operate even as they had refused to pay taxes worth millions of rupees. He also denied charges of issuing ruling to allow multinational telecoms company Ncell to repatriate dividends.

“I won’t comment on these cases, which are sub judice in court,” he told panellists, asking them not to press him to comment on such issues.

He did not utter a word on a query raised by Nepal Communist Party (CPN) leader Yogesh Bhattarai over extravagance in the recently held wedding ceremonies for his son and daughter.

According to lawmakers, the total cost of the two marriages held within a span of six months was allegedly Rs9 million. Bhattarai also asked why people defamed in society as corrupt, middleman and mafia were invited to the ceremony. Joshee replied that none can be called “corrupt” or “criminal” unless the court convicts them.

His attitude “irritated” some of the lawmakers who complained of his rudeness and indifference to their concerns. “We feel a sense of arrogance in your answering style,” complained another NCP lawmaker Parbat Gurung.

Following complaint that Joshee addressed lawmakers as “friends” instead of “respectable”, Karna had to order the Parliament-Secretariat to remove it from records, asking Joshee to use the proper form of address. It is the parliamentary practice to delete unparliamentary comments from its record.

Despite repeated queries from lawmakers as to what he would do as the CJ to control corruption in the judiciary, the acting chief justice denied that the ill existed in the sector. He also rubbished media reports questioning the authenticity of his academic certificates. He presented a copy of his certificate showing that he completed grade 10 from the Birgunj-based Nepal Rastriya Bidhyapeeth. “There were three boards to hold grade 10 exam then and I graduated from Bidhyapeeth,” he claimed.

In a departure from the PHSC practice of deciding on the recommendations the same day, the committee will meet on Friday to possibly endorse the nominees.

“It was late today, we will take a decision on Friday,” Karna told journalists.