Supreme Court upholds govt’s decision on IGP appointment

A joint bench of the apex court upholds the decision of the government to appoint Dhiraj Pratap Singh as the IGP of Nepal Police, quashing a writ filed against the appointment.

NL Today

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Kathmandu: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday upheld the decision of the government to appoint Dhiraj Pratap Singh as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Nepal Police.

A joint bench of Chief Justice Deepak Kumar Karki and Justice Kumar Chudal quashed the writ filed by Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Nepal Police Bishwo Raj Pokharel against the appointment.

Earlier the apex court had refused to issue a stay order against the IGP appointment.

Pokharel had filed the writ at the apex court challenging the government’s decision to promote Singh as the new top cop. He had sought a stay order from the court.

The appointment of the new IGP had courted controversy in the law enforcement agency. Although the regulation clearly states that the government shall appoint the Inspector General based on merit and seniority, a meeting of the Council of Ministers had appointed Singh, who was behind two additional inspector generals–Bishwo Raj Pokharel and Rabindra Dhanuk–in rankings.

The court, however, uphold the decision and quashed the writ petition.