KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 26

Amid widespread demands for Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana's resignation following the recent controversy involving him, the SC chief has made it clear that he will not step down.

CJ Rana, during a discussion with Supreme Court justices held today, stressed that he will not tender his resignation 'just because some people are asking for it'. He further stated that his appointment was made while following due constitutional process and his exit will follow the same pattern.

Moreover, the CJ also said that all the justices that were in the constitutional bench that spelled the July 12 verdict , and not just him, should step down for the whole thing to make a sense as his sole resignation would set a bad precedent in the judiciary.

It can be recalled that the verdict had led to reinstatement of House of Representatives for the second time, while also ordering the appointment of Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister in KP Sharma Oli's stead

However, it is to be noted that Rana's resignation is primarily being sought not because of the verdict but because of him being embroiled in one controversy after the other, which, according to legal experts, is against the decorum of the judiciary.

Controversies caught Rana, an often disputed legal figure, yet again as his relative Gajendra Bahadur Hamal was appointed as a minister in Deuba cabinet, supposedly at Rana's behest.

Read Also: SC Bar Association asks CJ Rana to quit

This is not the first time that Rana has been caught in a similar situation as he is accused to have lobbied for appointment of those close to him in the Constitutional Council, amid questionable circumstances, during former PM KP Sharma Oli's reign.

Opposition leader, ex-PM KP Oli asks for resignation of all justices that led to his oust

As the Apex Court's Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana finds himself in hot water, former Prime Minister and leader of main opposition party CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli has demanded that all five justices from the constitutional bench that gave the verdict to reinstate the House, not only CJ Rana, should step down from their posts.

"The judiciary and the country as a whole have been facing several issues following the SC's verdict. Shouldn't all the judges that were involved step down then?"

Oli made the statement during the party's virtual programme, expressing his longstanding irk against the SC verdict that led to his oust.