PM calls Constitutional Council meeting to recommend new CJ

Kathmandu, September 11 — Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has scheduled a meeting of the Constitutional Council for today to recommend a new Chief Justice for the Supreme Court. The meeting will take place at Singha Darbar at 5:00 PM, as announced by the Prime Minister's Secretariat.

As Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Prime Minister Oli called this meeting because he will be traveling to the United States in the coming days.

 The Constitutional Council includes the Chief Justice, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chair of the National Assembly, the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

On September 5th, the Judicial Council submitted a list of eight judges for consideration. Today’s meeting will likely focus on recommending Prakashman Singh Raut, the seniormost judge, for the position of Chief Justice.

There is some uncertainty about whether Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Chairman of the Maoist Center and Deputy Speaker Indira Rana will attend the meeting. Prachanda is currently in Madhesh for a party meeting and training, while the ruling Congress and UML parties are attempting to remove Deputy Speaker Rana from her position.

According to the constitution, the President will appoint the new Chief Justice following approval by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee.

Current Chief Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha is set to retire on October 6th. The constitution requires that the appointment process for the new Chief Justice begin at least one month before the retirement of the incumbent.