Parliamentary Hearing Process Begins for Proposed Chief Justice Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma

Kathmandu. The parliamentary hearing process for proposed Chief Justice Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma has begun.  

Speaking at the meeting of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee on Tuesday morning, CPN (UML) MP Barsaman Pun informed that a decision was made to provide 10 days for complaints and to hold a meeting on Jestha 5.  

He revealed that today's meeting was scheduled to study the received complaints and prepare a future work schedule. According to Pun, an informal discussion was held today regarding the distribution of complaints received by the committee and the action plan and commitment letters of the proposed Chief Justice.  

MP Pun mentioned that although the secretariat presented a proposed hearing schedule, it appears that recent developments may have caused some changes. Pun also stated that observing the Speaker's body language in the meeting, it seemed as if he was under some kind of pressure.

MP Pun, agreeing with MP Padma Aryal's statement, emphasized that although the decision of the parliamentary hearing can be roughly known, the necessary procedures must be completed before reaching a decision.  

He clarified that the Parliamentary Hearing Committee is not an institution formed solely to disagree with decisions made by the executive, and stressed that it should be a common objective for everyone to make the process systematic and legal. He stated that the policy should be to complete the process and not delay the work.

MP Pun pointed out the mandatory need to thoroughly study the complaints against the proposed Chief Justice, whose tenure will be six years. He also expressed his view that the action plan and commitments of the future Chief Justice should be presented and discussed with equal seriousness.  

He clarified that in the past, there was a situation where information about where and how officials who underwent hearings were working was not available, but the current procedure requires submitting performance reports every three-four months and making them public to ensure accountability to the public. He emphasized the need to make the committee's work effective, even though the MPs are busy with pre-budget discussions in the parliament. He proposed to the secretariat that it would be appropriate to study the received complaints and action plans and proceed with the hearing process continuously from tomorrow.  

He said, 'The decision of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee must reflect democratic principles, transparency, and accountability. The legislature must seriously fulfill its responsibilities, not just formalize executive decisions or express dissent. Our focus should be on what kind of reform framework the proposed Chief Justice will bring to address the public's grievances about the need for reform in the judiciary.'