Kathmandu, March 22:

Talking to journalists upon taking retirement after a 25-year-long service in the judiciary, outgoing secretary of the Judicial Council, Kashi Raj Dahal, today stressed the need to introduce a scientific process so that action can be taken against the dishonest officials of the judiciary.

Only by adopting an objective criteria while appointing judges can the judiciary be made dynamic, he said.

“The collapse of a political system can be addressed in a number of ways, but the

judiciary cannot be strengthened and the rights of the people cannot be protected if the judges are appointed by adopting a flawed procedure.”

Officials of the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs had organised separate programmes to bid farewell to Dahal, who retired after serving the judiciary for 25 years. Ad hoc judges should not be appointed to the Supreme Court if one wants to see the Supreme Court as a strong body and as the final interpreter of the Constitution, he said.

“Specialised benches should be established in the Supreme Court to handle constitutional, financial and criminal cases.”