Kathmandu, July 27

The Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee today began hearing on the nomination of Supreme Court justices.

The parliamentary panel today completed the hearing of six of the 11 newly-nominated Supreme Court justices Dipak Kumar Karki, Kedar Prasad Chalise, Sharada Prasad Ghimire, Meera Khadka, Hari Krishna Karki and Bishwambhar Prasad Shreshta.

Five other nominated justices Ishwar Khatiwada, Anand Mohan Bhattarai, Anil Kumar Sinha, Prakash Raut and Sapana Pradhan Malla will appear before the panel tomorrow. The parliamentary panel is likely to reject or confirm the nominations tomorrow if the hearing concludes.

PHSC members asked the newly-nominated SC justices questions related to their eligibility for the job and their plans to better the judiciary.

Former attorney general Hari Krishna Karki told the panel that it was because of his professional commitment that he could serve as president of the Nepal Bar Association and attorney general in the past.

He said if confirmed as SC justice, he would work as a professional justice maintaining his neutrality. Panel members asked him whether he would be able to maintain his neutrality, as he had contested NBA election on a party’s line and was a legal adviser to a prime minister.

“Anybody who agrees to become a justice agrees to do so only after s/he decides to work as a neutral professional,” he said in response to the panel members’ queries.

Karki said two former justices of the Supreme Court Pawan Kumar Ojha and Bharat Bahadur Karki were former AGs. He said there were examples in the United Kingdom where AGs went on to become justices.

Another nominee, Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, said delay in delivery of justice was a problem in the judiciary and everybody, including the members of the public, needed to support the judiciary to address it.

Shrestha said if he was confirmed for the job, he would deliver justice as per the constitution, domestic laws and international laws that Nepal was party to.

In response to a query, Shrestha said the indigenous people’s rights guaranteed by the United Nations instrument, to which Nepal is a party to, should be respected.

Another nominee, Meera Khadka, said if she was confirmed for the job, she would act as per the constitution and laws of the country.