Kathmandu, September 10

Office bearers of the Election Commission, including Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad, today requested Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli to provide names of 87 judges and other 108 officers of the judiciary.

During a meeting with CJ Parajuli at the Supreme Court, EC officials requested him to give names of judges and officers by September 20 to mobilise them in the provincial and parliamentary elections. The government has announced that it will hold provincial and parliamentary elections simultaneously on November 26 and December 7.

As per the law, the election body has to appoint district judge as the chief returning officerand gazetted second class officer as returning officer of respective districts. EC officials also reminded CJ that the poll panel had already written a formal letter to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in that regard, according to EC Spokesperson Nabaraj Dhakal.

In response, CJ Parajuli told EC officials that the Supreme Court would provide the names of judges and judiciary officials to help the poll panel hold elections. He expressed happiness at the successful holding of the first and second phases of local level elections.

SC Chief Registrar Nahakul Subedi and Secretary of the Judiciary Council Rajan Bhattarai was present in the meeting.

Along with CEC Yadav, EC commissioners Ila Sharma, NArendra Dahal, Ishwori Prasad Paudel and Sudhir Kumar Shah and EC Secretary Begendra Sharma Poudel was also present in the meeting.