Nepali Congress has threatened to rebuff the decision of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee meeting that rejected Deepak Raj Joshee as Chief Justice.

Taking special time at the House of Representatives on Monday, the lawmakers of the main opposition claimed the ruling parties rejected Joshee’s recommendations without any grounds on the back of their two-thirds majority on the committee.

In an unprecedented move, the 15-member committee on Friday rejected Joshee as the chief of judiciary, claiming that he failed to give convincing answers to questions  raised  on his integrity, work efficiency and behaviour.

He has also been blamed for failing to present proof to verify his questionable academic credentials.

“Those who rejected the recommendations must give valid reasons for it,” said NC lawmaker Gyanendra Bahadur Karki. He also demanded that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, as the chairman of Constitutional Council, should answer why Joshee had been recommended for the position if he was not eligible.

The Constitutional Council, based on the Judicial Council’s recommendations, had picked Joshee for the CJ post among three senior justices from the Supreme Court. “We won’t accept the decision motivated by bias and prejudice,” he told the House.

NC Whip Pushpa Bhusal said the decision was against the principle of separation of powers. The NC has backed Joshee despite controversies surrounding his credentials. NC’s stand had postponed the PHC meeting on six occasions before it reached a decision through voting.

On the seventh day of the hearing, PHC Coordinator Laxman Lal Karna agreed to take the decision through voting which saw four NC members boycott the meeting.

Rejecting the claim of the NC lawmakers, Nepal Communist Party member Hridayesh Tripathi said nobody has the right to challenge the decision of the parliamentary hearing committee. “The PHC has every authority to take a decision on its own. The decision to reject Joshee’s recommendation was made on the basis of the existing legal provisions,” he claimed.

Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara brought to an end the heated debate, assuring the lawmakers of further discussions on the topic when the committee presents its report to Parliament.