Nepal’s judiciary debacle: Escalation of tensions feared as the bar ups the ante against Chief Justice

Nepal Bar Association has staged protests to prevent the chief justice from entering the Supreme Court questioning the legality of parliament secretariat’s letter which declared the impeachment motion against CJ ineffective.

NL Today

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Kathmandu: The lawyers affiliated with the Nepal Bar Association (NBA) have staged a protest on the premises of the Supreme Court, demanding that Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana be stopped from entering the apex court. 

This follows the announcement on Wednesday from the Chief Justice to return to the Supreme Court after the parliament secretariat gave in writing that the impeachment motion filed against him was no longer effective. 

The NBA, the umbrella organization of Nepali lawyers, has questioned the legality of the letter sent by the Parliament secretariat. A few days ago, Chief Justice Rana had written to the parliament seeking notice about the impeachment motion filed against him. In response, Bharat Gautam, general secretary of Parliament secretariat, sent a letter saying the motion against him has become ineffective.

According to Gopal Krishna Ghimire, president of the Nepal Bar Association, the parliament secretariat doesn’t hold the right to conclude that the impeachment motion filed against Rana is ineffective.

On February 13, as many as 98 lawmakers filed a motion of impeachment against Rana accusing him of seeking ministerial berth in the cabinet. Rana was accused of forcing the ruling alliance to appoint his man as a cabinet minister back in October, 2021.

“The lawyers have staged the protest on the premises of the apex court to stop Rana,” Gopal Krishna Ghimire said.