Hard time appointing judges: CJ

KATHMANDU: Chief Justice Min Bahadur Rayamajhi today said that the Judicial Council had been through “hard times” finding out eligible candidates to be appointed as the judges in Appellate Courts.

"We've been on homework to appoint the judges in the vacant posts in the appellate courts but we haven't found appropriate candidates so far," Rayamajhi said while speaking at a programme to mark 16th Bar Council Day today.

He added that two members of the JC -- Basudev Dhungana and Motikaji Sthapit -- have been searching the appropriate candidates since a long time.

He also stressed the need of effective functioning of the JC and Nepal Bar Council for the effective justice system. "Both the institutions have to run equally effective," Rayamajhi said. "However, both of them could not run as expected.”

The Chief Justice also added that there was an effective monitoring of the judges and the lawyers code of conduct, which would give a positive impact in order to bring the justice sector in a “clean situation”.

"Without the follow up of the code of conduct, it would be difficult to make the judicial service effective," he added. Speaking on the occasion, senior justice Anup Raj Sharma said that the action on unethical behaviour of judges and lawyers were equally sensitive. "It's very difficult to take action against the judges and the lawyers on these grounds," he added.

Minister of Law and Justice Prem Bahadur Singh also urged the judges and the lawyers to strengthen rule of law. "We have to be ruled by law not by the persons," he added.

Attorney General Pro Dr Bharat Bahadur Karki stressed on the need of democratic system of governance and effective justice.

Bishwa Kanta Mainali, president of Nepal Bar Association, also called the judges and lawyers to come under code of conduct and called for a review of law education to make it effective and tackle the emerging problems.

Dean of Law Faculty Pro Dr Amber Pant, however, claimed that he was seriously working to make the law education more effective and compatible with the changing times.