Nepal Bar Association announces a series of protest

Kathmandu, September 25 — The Nepal Bar Association has announced a series of protest initiatives in response to concerns regarding the lack of action on amendments to the Judicial Council Regulations. The announcement was made in a statement released today.

The Bar highlighted that, according to an agreement reached during a recent meeting of the Supreme Court's Bar Bench Coordination Committee, there has been inadequate progress on addressing these amendments. The statement criticized the Chief Justice, who is currently on leave, along with individuals notified for parliamentary hearings, for making unilateral decisions that seriously undermine the integrity of Nepal's judiciary. 

To demonstrate their concerns, the Bar has organized a protest program for September 25, ensuring that it will not disrupt any ongoing legal proceedings.

Legal professionals outside the valley are formally requested to gather at their respective local Bar units, while those within the valley are asked to assemble at the Nepal Bar Association headquarters in Kathmandu.

The Bar has consistently voiced its opposition to the Judicial Council Regulations, 2017 (First Amendment, 2023), urging their immediate repeal. This issue has been discussed in various forums, including the annual general assembly in Surkhet, the Central Executive Committee meeting in Chitwan, and the 16th National Conference in Kathmandu.

Recently, a sit-in was held at the Judicial Council. Following this event, the Chief Justice convened a meeting of the Bar Bench Coordination Committee to establish a task force.

Meetings of the Judicial Council resumed after the submission of the task force's report. The Bar stated, "The unilateral amendments to the Judicial Council Regulations, made without consulting relevant stakeholders, violate the spirit of Article 141(3) of the Constitution and contradict fundamental legal principles."

Despite the formation of a task force after peaceful sit-ins on September 2 and 3, no decisions have been made regarding the submitted report.

The five-member working group comprised Senior Justice Prakashman Singh Raut from the Supreme Court, Senior Advocate Ram Prasad Bhandari from the Judicial Council, President of the Nepal Bar Association Senior Advocate Gopal Krishna Ghimire, Secretary Advocate Anjita Khanal, and Secretary of the Judicial Council Yam Bahadur Budhamagar. The committee submitted its report on September 13.