'NC should back those fighting against acts that undermined basic norms of democracy, justice'
KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 29
Twelve young leaders of the ruling Nepali Congress issued a joint statement today calling on the party to stand on the side of those who are fighting for purification of the judiciary.
They said the NC should back all those who were fighting against the acts that undermined basic norms of democracy and justice.
NC leaders Chandra Bhandari, Dhanaraj Gurung, Kamala Panta, Ratna Sherchan, Gagan Kumar Thapa, Badri Pandey, Jeevan Pariyar, Gururaj Ghimire, Pradip Paudel, Sarita Prasai, Ram Krishna Yadav, and Kiran Yadav said in their statement that the latest resentment against the leadership of the judiciary from within the judiciary should not be taken lightly. They asked the party to make its stance clear on the controversy surrounding Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana.
Rana faces accusation of seeking to appoint his brother-in-law a minister in the Sher Bahadur Deuba Cabinet and delaying the hearing of cases filed against appointments to constitutional bodies.
Fifteen Supreme Court justices have sought CJ Rana's resignation.
"While some political parties are maintaining silence, others are trying to exact revenge on the judiciary which saved the constitution in the past and are trying to divert people's attention. The NC can neither remain silent nor leave it on the judiciary to clean its own act," NC leaders stated in their press release.
Stating that the current fight was for making the judiciary impartial, independent, and a pure institution, NC leaders said the NC, which had been calling for an independent and impartial judiciary since its inception, should not keep mum on the recent controversy.
They said unless the leadership of the judiciary maintained a pure judicial conduct, the judiciary could not remain independent and without independent judiciary, liberal democracy that the NC champions, could not be protected by the court. They urged the party to find a lasting solution to the problems plaguing the judiciary and amend laws, if necessary.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 30, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
