KATHMANDU: In a bid to maintain judicial integrity, Chief Justice Ram Prasad Shrestha is all set to issue a circular to the chief judges of all 16 appellate courts.

"The circular might be issued either on Sunday or a day later," a source told The Himalayan Times today.

The Chief Justice is planning to empower the chief judges to make them pro-active in order to control corruption and irregularities in the courts and to monitor the appellate courts and the district courts under them.

While assuming the office, Chief Justice Shrestha had said he would focus on implementing the report on

judicial corruption that he had prepared two weeks ago.

The report stated that 60 per cent of corruption and irregularities could be addressed if the chiefs of the courts concerned took initiatives on their own.

Recently, the Judicial Council, headed by him, has also formed a panel to look into the complaints pending in JC. The preliminary report has found the cases to be serious in nature.

Most of the judges in question had made verdicts under the influence of power or bribe.

"He is concerned about delayed justice and focusing on providing prompt service to the service seekers. The circular is a part of his judiciary reform programme," Supreme Court Spokesperson Shreekanta Paudel told The Himalayan Times.