KATHMANDU, JULY 8
The Judicial Council has recommended that the chief justice should dismiss High Court Judge Renuka Sah, who has been posted at Butwal bench of Tulsipur High Court.
JC Spokesperson Man Bahadur Karki said the council decided to remove Sah after its investigation found that she was ineligible for high court judgeship and she had concealed her ineligibility when she applied for the job.
A lawyer needs to have at least 10 years' experience to become eligible for a high court judge. This means that a candidate must show evidence of drafting legal documents and representing clients in the court, but Sah did not do any such work before she was appointed a high court judge, Karki said.
A lawyer told THT that active lawyers were not the only ones eligible to become judges.
Even those working at somebody else's law firm or engaged in legal research were also eligible for judgeship.
Karki said Sah had worked for Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training from 1998 till she was appointed a judge. She resigned from CTEVT only two days before being appointed as a high court judge. Even that didn't make her eligible to become a judge.
He said the JC decided to remove Sah in accordance with Section 32 of Judicial Council Act.
Karki said JC's decision to remove Judge Sah from service would be executed on Monday when the SC reopens.
Sah was appointed high court judge in April 2019 after Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana became the chief justice.
It was reported in the media back then that Rana picked Renuka Sah for the post of a high court judge to please former CJ Ram Kumar Prasad Sah with whom he had a long working relation.
Judge Renuka Sah could not be contacted for comments.
Judges' appointment often comes under fire from legal experts, as members of the Judicial Council and chief justice often favour their relatives and friends.
Yesterday, the JC issued new directives introducing strict criteria for appointment of judges.
This will make it difficult for non-practising lawyers to get appointed as judges. In the past, there were cases of non-practising lawyer getting appointed as judges mainly due to their access to corridors of power.
She is the daughter of former chief justice Ram Kumar Prasad Sah.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 9, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
