Kathmandu, August 6

The Judicial Council today recommended 60 legal officers for appointment in the vacant positions of district court judges.

A meeting of the JC held today made the recommendations on the basis of work performance, seniority, experience, knowledge of contents, competence, honesty, neutrality, devotion and contribution to justice and high moral character among others, stated a notice issued by the JC. All the nominated persons are working as gazetted Second Class legal officers at various ministries, constitutional bodies, courts and government attorney offices.

The recommendation was made as per Article 113 of the Interim Constitution and Section 4(1) of the Judicial Council Act. Now, the Chief Justice will appoint them to the vacant positions as per Article 109 of the Constitution.

Nepal Bar Association (NBA) had demanded that the appointment process start only after promulgation of the new constitution.

The draft of the constitution has stated that district court judges should be selected through open competition where even lawyers could apply.

General Secretary of Nepal Bar Association Sunil Kumar Pokharel said it was not appropriate for the Judicial Council to nominate district court judges at a time when the draft constitution had proposed to recruit such judges through open competition.

“Supreme Court’s full court has sent its suggestions on the draft and the Judicial Council seems to have nominated district court judges to evade the new constitution’s provision. The decision of the JC, headed by the Chief Justice casts serious doubt on the body’s adherence to the law and the constitution,” Pokharel reacted.