KATHMANDU: The Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee (PHSC) today unanimously approved Anup Raj Sharma as the new Chief Justice (CJ).

The PHSC endorsed the recommendation of the Constitutional Council (CC) that nominated Sharma for the post of CJ on November 30. He was the senior most justice of the SC.

With this, Sharma will become the first lawyer-turned-CJ in the country. He was appointed as SC Justice in 2003 after his involvement in the legal profession for three decade.

As all the PHSC members endorsed his nomination for the top judicial post, the committee forwarded its decision to the CC. Sharma will assume the post on Sunday after President Dr Ram Baran Yadav formally appoint him to the post.

Sharma will take charge of the post and responsibility after the outgoing CJ Min Bahadur Rayamajhi’s tenure ends on Saturday.

After not a single member of the 47-member committee opposed Sharma’s nomination after recording his statement regarding his mission, vision and plan to reform the judiciary, Kul Bahadur Gurung, PHSC chairman, announced the endorsement of his nomination.

During his interaction with CA members, Sharma expressed his commitment to bring reforms in the judiciary.

Sharma clearly stated that corruption and irregularities were rife in the judiciary due to the level of corruption prevalent in the society. “The judiciary merely cannot become an island. If there is anti-corruption move in the society, it will be helpful to curb corruption in the judiciary as well.”

In order to maintain judicial integrity, he underscored the need of entry of morally sound people as judges and lawyers in the judiciary. Sharma also said that he would form a committee to find out the level of corruption in the judiciary and to take initiatives to combat it. He also assured that he would end the current system of regular presence of litigants in the courts.

According to him, a verdict execution division will be set up in the SC to monitor the court verdicts execution in the all three-tier of judiciary.

Sharma, however, ruled out bringing ambitious programmes in his short tenure.

He welcomed the parliamentary hearing process stating that that was a democratic practice. He, however, called to reform the hearing process to make the system more effective. “What is required is an investigation about the nominee with an effective mechanism and settling complaints against a contestant logically,” he said. Sharma also urged the CA members to endorse such provision in the new constitution and to reform the all old Acts based on which the judiciary has been functioning.

Suggesting a provision of judicial structure in the federal structure, he suggested to keep in mind the Indian judicial system. “Despite of the federal state structure, the Indian judiciary has been perfectly working under the SC,” Sharma added.