By Our Reporter
The ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) rose in politics by promoting the narrative that leaders of the old parties had turned state and constitutional bodies into recruitment centres for their loyalists.
During the election, RSP leaders promised that experience and qualifications would determine appointments. But after coming to power on a platform of “merit,” the party is increasingly accused of falling into the same old practices of power sharing and favouring its own people.
Soon after Balendra Shah took office, his government scrapped nearly 1,600 appointments through an ordinance. The move was presented at the time as an effort to “clean up the system.” But critics now argue that subsequent appointments, from the judiciary to constitutional and government bodies, suggest that the exercise was aimed at clearing positions for people favoured by the new administration.
The RSP had previously accused the Nepali Congress and CPN UML of appointing judges close to them and manipulating the courts. Yet its own government has faced similar allegations.
Manoj Kumar Sharma was appointed chief justice despite questions over seniority. Basudev Acharya, a Butwal High Court judge involved in a decision releasing RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane from custody in a cooperative fraud case, was later promoted as chair of the Special Court. Judge Himlal Belbase of Kaski was also promoted and posted to Janakpur. Appointments to district and high courts have likewise attracted controversy.
Meanwhile, four Supreme Court justice positions remain vacant. Although legal provisions require vacancies to be filled a month before retirement, the appointment process has stalled. Sources quoted in the account attribute the delay partly to Law Minister Sobita Gautam and alleged disagreements over nominees involving Prime Minister Shah and Lamichhane.
The report claims that discussions have centred on appointing four judges from within the judicial service and one from the legal profession. Several names have reportedly been pushed by different political actors, but no agreement has been reached.
Questions also surround other vacancies. A presidentially nominated National Assembly seat has remained vacant for eight months. Former interim prime minister Sushila Karki had recommended then home minister Om Prakash Aryal for the position, but the appointment did not proceed. The Shah government has neither continued that recommendation nor proposed another candidate.
Numerous positions in constitutional bodies, including the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and Public Service Commission, also remain vacant.
At the same time, several appointments already made by the government have faced questions over selection procedures and qualifications. The Supreme Court overturned the appointment of an 83-year-old to Nepal Airlines made under the previous Gen Z government.
Critics have also questioned appointments involving former military officers and people with political or family connections in bodies under the Infrastructure Ministry, Pashupati Area Development Trust, Tribhuvan University Service Commission and Medical Education Commission.
The criticism is particularly pointed because the RSP built much of its political appeal around replacing patronage with merit-based appointments. The emerging controversy now centres on whether that promise is being honoured in practice.
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