LETTERS: Karki creates history

It is with reference to the news story “Karki all set to be maiden woman CJ” (THT, July 11, page 1).

Another feather has been added in the cap of Nepalese history after Sushila Karki was unanimously endorsed for the post of Chief Justice by the Parliamentary Special Hearing Committee on Sunday.

It may be a coincidence that Head of State, Speaker and Chief Justice are all women. What can be said for sure is that Nepali society is not gender biased.

Their appointments show that women are also equally capable of leading at the head of the highest public positions in the country.

Karki successfully defended six allegations, including amassing property exceeding her known sources of income, which had been labelled against her and also defended another female appointee for the Supreme Court judgeship with evidence.

She proved with evidence that she had not amassed property beyond the known sources of income. She also defended by saying that political affiliation does not matter as long as a person is committed to professional integrity and maintains his/her dignity and upholds independence of the judiciary.

It has proved that the new constitution does not discriminate against anyone else based on gender, caste, creed and religion. The only condition is that one must prove one’s competence in the given fields.

One of the daunting challenges Karki will face as the Chief Justice is that the SC is overburdened with thousands of cases under consideration for years due to lack of enough justices in it. With the appointment of all judges it is hoped that the people will get justice on time.

Let us hope that CJ Karki will also leave a deep impression in the judiciary’s history during her tenure.

Manita Karki, Dharan

Well said

For once our honourable Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli is right to say that “Teachers, students shouldn’t indulge in politics” (THT, July 11, Page 3. Professionals such as teachers, doctors, engineers, journalists, as well as government servants, students, beggars and trade unionists should not indulge in active politics.

As political animals, we all have our private political beliefs and ethos but that does not mean that we should play politics to the detriment of our primary duties and responsibilities.

I could not agree more with the PM who is also reported to have said recently that people are looking for prosperity rather than about rights, which, I assume, are identity, language, dress, autonomous state etc.

I would not care about my identity or my Newari language; my identity is Nepali and my language is Nepali too. In the modern world with full of complexities, my Newari language and dress will turn me into a ‘Crocodile Dundee’, a misfit. I can assimilate better in the world society with English and coat and pants.

I can, however, practice my Newari as much as I like in private, which is few and far between.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu