KATHMANDU: National Assembly Chair Narayan Prasad Dahal and Leader of the Opposition Bhishma Raj Angdembe have registered written dissent during the Constitutional Council meeting that recommended Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma for the post of chief justice.
The two leaders objected to Prime Minister Balendra Shah moving forward with Sharma’s recommendation without discussion and bypassing seniority in the judicial hierarchy.
Sharma, who is fourth in the order of seniority at the Supreme Court of Nepal, was recommended over senior-most justice Sapana Pradhan Malla.
According to Dahal and Angdembe, Prime Minister Shah advanced the recommendation process hastily without adequate deliberation in the meeting.
“Once the seniority order and established tradition were ignored, we could not support the decision. We registered written dissent so that we would not become part of it,” Dahal told Khabarhub.
The Constitutional Council meeting, chaired by Shah, was held at 5 pm on Thursday. Despite opposition from Dahal and Angdembe, Sharma’s name was recommended through a majority decision backed by Shah, Law Minister Sobita Gautam, and Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal.
If appointed after parliamentary hearing, Sharma is expected to serve a full six-year term as chief justice until Baisakh 2089 BS.
Earlier, the Judicial Council had recommended six names for the chief justice position, including Sapana Pradhan Malla, Kumar Regmi, Hari Prasad Phuyal, Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, Dr Nahakul Subedi, and Til Prasad Shrestha.
Born on Asar 4, 2027 BS, Sharma joined the Supreme Court on Baisakh 6, 2076 BS. If appointed, 11 justices are expected to retire during his tenure, while Justice Hari Phuyal would still have three years of service remaining after Sharma’s retirement.
The meeting was convened shortly after President Ram Chandra Paudel promulgated the ordinance related to the Constitutional Council on Tuesday.
