With so many judicial openings, the Judicial Council is becoming less cohesive
On Friday, a Judicial Council member retired. Following the conclusion of senior attorney Ram Prasad Shrestha’s four-year term, the council’s five members have been whittled down to four. Prior to the council selecting about two dozen judges for two tiers of courts, he retired. The council tried in vain to appoint someone to the open positions. The names were supposed to be discussed by the council on Tuesday, but the Minister of Law did not show up. Different high courts lack 18 judges, while the Supreme Court has four open justice slots. It will now only be feasible to host council meetings following Shrestha’s replacement.
Members of the council include the senior most Supreme Court justice, the law minister, and two advocates, one each from the government and the NBA. It will be suggested that Shrestha be replaced since he represented the umbrella organization of attorneys. The Bar Association has already received a letter requesting the recommendation. Before receiving the recommendation, the person chosen by the association must pass the parliamentary hearing procedure. The open posts won’t be filled anytime soon because the full procedure will take at least three to four weeks. The NBA and the judiciary are still at odds over the council’s regulation modification. The change was made so that the council secretary or the chief registrar of the Supreme Court might receive it.
