Ananta Raj Luitel

Kathmandu, January 23:

Chief Justice Hari Prasad Sharma has got busy consulting lower-level colleagues to find ways to reform the judiciary.

He has spent a week consulting court clerks (Tameldars), computer operators, nayab subbas (non-gazetted officials) in the judiciary in order to solve minor problems which hamper the dispensation of timely justice and also to pinpoint causes of petty corruption.

“He held meetings with us (junior officials) for a whole week and sought our suggestions on how to reform the entire judicial system,” a nayab subba told this daily. According to him, the CJ is interested in knowing the problems of the low-ranking officials and the reasons for petty corruption.

Sharma also has also scheduled meetings with other officials of the Supreme Court, as per their rank — from bottom to top. He has scheduled meetings with section officers, deputy registrars and joint registrars for the next week.

Most of the junior officials requested the CJ to increase their salaries so that petty-bribing in the judiciary can be controlled. Sharma also asked court clerks the reasons why they were not serving court notices on time. He also sought to know whether people with vested interests were putting pressure to do so.

The CJ also held a meeting with the Attorney General and his office staff last week and sought ideas on how to check the justice-delaying tactics.f the handle very fast.

The junior officials urged the CJ to pressurise the government to promulgate a separate Judicial Service Act in order to regulate their service and increase their salaries so that they can concentrate on their duties.