Govt finally submits Karki appointment papers to SC

KATHMANDU: The government on Friday has submitted documents related to appointment of Lok Man Singh Karki as the Chief of Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

The apex court's co-spokesperson, Bishwaraj Paudel, told THT Online that Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) sent the files to the Supreme Court today.

Last week, in response to a case filed by advocate Om Prakash Aryal, a division bench of Chief Justice Sushila Karki, Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha and Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla had told the government to send the files within a week. The bench had warned of action upon failure to comply with the order.

Two weeks ago, the OPMCM had written to the apex court that the papers could not be found out as they were misplaced while shifting the office after the 2015 earthquake.

Likewise, the Ministry of General Administration (MoGA) had written that the file related to the action taken against Karki, who was the Chief Secretary then, after he was found involved in suppressing the Janaandolan II in 2006, was also missing and immediately could not be found out.

MoGA has not submitted any paper about the action against him yet, according to Paudel.

Observing that there was fault in the apex court’s two-year-old order while quashing the writ filed by advocate Om Prakash Aryal, the three justices last week had also said the case would be reviewed as it raised a question on constitutional provision about high moral character sought for the constitutional position and whether Karki, who served in the Palace for over six years, was eligible for the appointment.

Responding to Aryal’s latest writ petition, a full bench of three justices –Deepak Karki, Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha and Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada– on August 26 had told the authorities to forge the documents related to his appointment along with the clarification that the government sought from him in 2007 when Karki was the Chief Secretary.

Karki was appointed as the chief of the anti-graft constitution body for six years in May 2013.

Aryal has asked the apex court to see if Karki, who was accused of corruption and held responsible for suppression during the Janaandolan II during the royal regime, was eligible to be the CIAA chief.