Kathmandu, January 3

The Judicial Council under new Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana today decided to remove Justice Deepak Raj Joshee from the constitutional bench and bring another Justice Hari Krishna Karki in his place on the panel.

CJ Rana had announced yesterday that he would not assign benches to Joshee, who was rejected by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee for the post of chief justice on August 3. Ruling party lawmakers have been demanding since then that he quit his post.

Following today’s move, there will be CJ Rana, Deepak Kumar Karkee, Kedar Prasad Chalise, Meera Khadka and Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada on the constitutional bench that hears cases involving constitutional disputes.

The JC also decided to recommend that the CJ recall Joshee from Mediation Council and send Justice Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada in his place. Joshee went to the Supreme Court today and returned home after signing the attendance register, according to an SC source.

The JC also decided that the CJ and the newly formed monitoring committee would step up their vigilance against complaints lodged at the JC against judges.

The monitoring team of the Judicial Council formed under JC Secretary Nripa Dhoj Niroula started monitoring the court staffers’ work from Lalitpur District Court today.

A source said the JC had kept the names of other members of the team confidential so that they could carry out their duties without being identified.

According to a source, JC Secretary Niroula himself went to inspect the Lalitpur District Court today. The source added that from now on JC teams would visit courts posing as service seekers and if they found any employee committing any wrongdoing or delaying service, they would take necessary action. The JC also transferred Chief Judge of Surkhet High Court Hari Kumar Pokharel to Janakpur High Court ‘to control mismanagement’ there.