Kathmandu, May 22

A writ petitioner today challenged the Judicial Council’s decision to keep a corruption complaint filed against High Court Judge Lekhanath Dhakal pending.

Umesh Baniya, a resident of Kavreplanchowk district, accused Judge Dhakal of extorting Rs 1.8 million from him when Dhakal was a District Court judge in Kavreplanchowk where a black marketeering case against Baniya was sub-judice.

Baniya’s lawyer senior Advocate Surendra Bhandari said his client sought the Supreme Court’s ruling to force the JC to probe allegation of corruption against Dhakal. He said the JC did not probe the allegation of corruption against Dhakal and rather nominated him for High Court judge.

Baniya filed a case at the Supreme Court against the JC’s decision to keep the case against Dhakal pending, but the court registrar refused to entertain his case following which Baniya challenged the registrar’s order in the SC.

Today, a single bench of Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla quashed the registrar’s decision to refuse a case against the JC following which Baniya filed the case at the apex court.