Kathmandu

Parajuli confirmed for SC chief justice

Parajuli confirmed for SC chief justice

By Rastriya Samachar Samiti

Acting Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli at the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee on Sunday, July 16, 2017. Photo: RSS

KATHMANDU: The Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee on Sunday unanimously endorsed acting Chief Justice  Gopal Prasad Parajuli for the post of Chief Justice at the Supreme Court (SC). The PHSC had summoned Parajuli at its meeting today to conduct the hearing. Speaking at the meeting, Parajuli presented a 39-point judiciary reform plan. Now, after the PHSC endorsement; the President will appoint him to the post and he will head the judiciary till April 28, 2018. The meeting of the Constitutional Council on June 29 had sent his name in PHSC for hearing. It may be noted that, no complaints were registered against him in the PHSC. After the retirement of then Chief Justice Sushila Karki on June 6, 2017, Parajuli, the senior-most Justice at the Supreme Court, has taken up the responsibility of acting Chief Justice since June 7, 2017. Born on April 28, 1953 in Tanahun district, Parajuli had practiced law for long and was appointed the Ad-Hoc Justice at appellate court in 1990. Presenting the 39-point action plan for the judiciary reform, Justice Parajuli said the main priority has been the effective implementation of the third, five-year strategic plan of the court. He also pledged to proceed a reform in judiciary so as to address current concerns and aspirations for judiciary. He also stressed the need for increasing people's access to the delivery of justice impartially, effectively and in an easy and fair manner. After the meeting, PHSC member Bal Krishna Khand said that the name of Parajuli was endorsed unanimously after receiving the responses from Parajuli over the lawmaker's queries on action plan presented by him.