Kathmandu, January 25:

The Judicial Council headed by Chief Justice Kedar Prasad Giri has started discussion on the appointment of appellate court judges, senior Supreme Court justice and ex-officio member of the JC Min Bahadur Rayamajhi told mediapersons today.

A meeting of the coordination committee was held before the JC meeting in order to discuss the appointment of judges. Representatives of Nepal Bar Association, Nepal Bar Council and Faculty of Law of the Tribhuvan University and the Attorney General took part in the meeting and dwelt on the principles for the selection of contenders.

“This is a preliminary discussion and an appropriate decision will be taken soon,” Rayamajhi added.

During the JC meeting, the members also took up introducing changes in the appointment process by adopting transparency and maintaining quality in the appointments.

The JC discussed the basis for the appointment of the judges and priority in the process with possible ways of mitigating public grievances regarding the appointments.

Law Minister Dev Gurung and other JC members — Motikaji Sthapit and Basudev Prasad Dhungana — were also present in the meeting chaired by the CJ.

The JC is mulling over filling 33 vacancies in the appellate courts and whether or not to appoint additional judges, in the light of opposition by the legal fraternity.

JC secretary Prakash Kumar Dhungana, however, said the meeting focussed on the appointment of chief judges and judges in the appellate courts and judges in the district courts.