KATHMANDU: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajaya Shankar Nayak on Monday accused the Attorney General Raman Kumar Shrestha of mobilising lawyers under some pressure to launch a protest against the recent High Court judge appointment.

Speaking with journalists at the Reporters' Club in the Capital today, the CPN Maoist Centre leader said, "What the government attorneys have been doing is not ceremonious. It does not give any good message."

The government attorneys since Sunday have been boycotting hearing demanding that the appointment be reviewed.

They have been arguing that the appointment was flawed as only one from the government attorneys was picked in the appointment of 80 High Court judges.

But, Nayak today claimed that all groups were rightly included in the appointment process.

Speaking at the same function, senior advocate Tikaram Bhattarai also commented that the current protest of government lawyers was led by the Attorney General and it was against his professionalism.

"The Attorney General, who is the legal advisor to the Prime Minister, should not resort to protest," he said, "I do not know if such thing happens anywhere else."

Bhattarai also criticised the involvement of judicial staff's unions in the protests.

The trade unions should not have protested the decisions as they apparently included lower level staff, who could not become judges anyway, he commented.

Nepal Bar Association Vice-President Motiraj Gautam, however, extended his support to the protest claiming it was for free and independent judiciary.

Speaking at the function, Acting Chairperson of the Government Attorneys Society Narayan Paudel said they were compelled to launch the protests as they were neglected in the appointment process.

He, however, hinted that the form of protests would be changed.

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