KATHMANDU, AUGUST 24

The impeachment recommendation committee formed to investigate allegations against suspended Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana today decided to summon him on August 31 to record his statement.

Ninety-eight lawmakers from the ruling coalition had on February 13 registered a motion of impeachment against Rana invoking Article 101 (2) of the constitution, listing 21 grounds for impeachment against him.

The committee will now gather evidence related to allegations against Rana.

House of Representatives member Ram Bahadur Bista, who chaired the meeting of the impeachment recommendation committee on grounds of being a senior lawmaker, told THT that the committee decided to issue notice in media outlets calling the public and institutions working in the field of law and justice to submit evidence, if any, against Rana.

In the course of its investigation against Rana, the committee will also collect reports from national level institutions that it deems valid. 'We have not fixed the timeline for our investigation, but I think we will be able to submit our report by September 10,' Bista said.

The HoR formed impeachment recommendation committee on March 7, but it got the authority to investigate allegations against Rana only on August 7.

Four UML lawmakers who are members of the committee, including Bishnu Prasad Paudel, today submitted a written memorandum to the committee wondering why impeachment proceedings were put on hold for six months even when the House was in session.

According to UML lawmaker Krishna Bhakta Pokharel, without knowing the reasons for the delay, committee members would not be able to effectively resolve the issue. UML members also asked Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota to clarify about the delay in the investigation against Rana.

Paudel said the committee had three months to submit its report, but since provincial and parliamentary elections had already been announced, the HoR's tenure would end in less than three months. 'What is the assurance that the process of investigation will move smoothly, as the HoR's tenure ends in less than three months?' Paudel wondered.

The impeachment motion against Rana can be passed only with the support of two-thirds majority in the HoR, but the ruling alliance does not have two-thirds majority. The UML is unlikely to support the motion, as it has questioned fairness of the ruling alliance's move to impeach Rana.

The Nepal Bar Association, which had protested against Rana for weeks seeking his resignation had accused Rana of seeking a quid pro quo deal with the executive and stalling much needed reforms in the judiciary.

Rana allegedly sought to appoint his brother-in-law Gajendra Hamal a minister in the Sher Bahadur Deuba Cabinet.

In the face of the controversy, Hamal, who had become industry minister, resigned from his post on October 10 within hours of his appointment.

The impeachment recommendation committee also approved its procedure and work calendar. The ruling coalition moved to impeach Rana in the backdrop of a five-month deadlock in the judiciary, with the NBA and the Supreme Court Bar Association protesting against him for months seeking Rana's resignation. Supreme Court justices boycotted the bench initially and later when they heard cases, they refused to share the bench with Rana.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 25, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.