Kathmandu, January 27:

Krishna Kumar Verma, a retired justice of the Supreme Court, passed away this morning.

He suffered a cardiac arrest at his residence this morning. Doctors at TU Teaching Hospital declared him brought dead.

Verma, who was also a member of the Judicial Council, had been suffering from depression after he got embroiled in a controversy about five years ago. His legal judgments were questioned following the acquittal of drug peddler Gordon William Robinson. He shortly resigned after the incident on moral ground.

The deceased hailed from an illustrious family. His father Dev Nath Prasad Verma was the founding member of the Nepal Bar Association and the first senior advocate of the country.

Verma had entered the legal profession in 1967. He became a senior advocate in the apex court in 1990. The following year he was appointed justice by the SC. CJ Kedar Prasad Giri, CA chairman Subas Nembang, several political leaders, ministers, justices, CA members, lawyers and journalists attended his last rites at Pashupati Aryaghat this afternoon.