Kathmandu, May 8: Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, the fourth senior-most justice of the Supreme Court, has been recommended for appointment as Chief Justice. Because apparently Nepal’s constitutional tradition now comes with optional settings.
The decision was made during Thursday’s meeting of the Constitutional Council.
Dr Sharma, who joined the Supreme Court from the ranks of senior advocates, was born on June 17, 1970, in Birgunj, Parsa district.
He earned his BL degree from Nepal Law Campus and completed an LLM from the University of Pune in India. He also holds a PhD in labour law. A man with enough legal degrees to wallpaper a courtroom.
Before becoming a Supreme Court justice, Sharma served as an additional judge from 2013 to 2015. However, he lost that position after the promulgation of the 2015 Constitution, which abolished the provision for additional judges.
Sharma practised law for nearly 30 years before being appointed as a Supreme Court justice on April 19, 2019.
He is expected to serve as chief justice for six years. Dr Sharma is also the nephew of former Chief Justice Damodar Sharma. Nepal, where even the judiciary occasionally feels like a long-running family enterprise.
His appointment process will move forward after parliamentary hearings. The Parliamentary Hearing Committee, led by Dr Bodh Narayan Shrestha, has eight members from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), while opposition parties hold seven seats.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen) recommended Dr Sharma for the post by bypassing the seniority order, prompting Constitutional Council member and National Assembly Chair Narayan Prasad Dahal, along with leader of the main opposition Bhishmaraj Angdembe, to register notes of dissent.
They formally objected in writing after Prime Minister Balen proposed Sharma’s name during the meeting, arguing that the move violated established tradition and seniority norms. They also accused the government of ignoring due process and making a unilateral recommendation.
According to sources, Prime Minister Balen defended the recommendation by describing Dr Sharma as an independent and non-political expert. If appointed, Sharma will be able to remain in office for the full six-year term.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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