Kathmandu, May 20: Manoj Sharma, the newly appointed Chief Justice, was formally welcomed at the Supreme Court in Kathmandu on Tuesday evening as he assumed office, but notable absences and symbolic protests overshadowed the ceremony.
Judges, the chief registrar, senior officials, and other court staff gathered at the Supreme Court to congratulate and receive Sharma. He was welcomed from the main gate to his office with flower garlands and ceremonial khadas. After taking charge, Sharma also signed his first official decision.
During his brief address to journalists, Justice Kumar Regmi sat to his right, while Justice Hari Phuyal sat to his left. On the same row of seats were Justices Nahakul Subedi and Binod Sharma. Other judges, court employees, and journalists were also present. Some district and high court judges from the Kathmandu Valley had also arrived for the reception, because apparently Nepal’s judiciary still knows how to arrange a flower ceremony even when it cannot arrange consensus.
However, acting Chief Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla was absent from the event. She had openly expressed strong dissatisfaction over the alleged bypassing of judicial seniority in Sharma’s appointment.
Officials from Nepal Bar Association, including its president, also skipped both the oath-taking and welcome program. A Bar official described the absence as a symbolic protest.
“We continue to oppose the appointment because the seniority order was ignored. Neither the person appointed nor those who recommended him consulted us,” the official said, adding that excluding the Bar from consultation was itself a reason for protest.
Earlier the same day, the Bar had staged another protest by lighting lanterns in daylight, yes, humans do love symbolism, over the refusal to register writ petitions related to controversial ordinances, judicial recommendations, and rejected filings. The association said it was protesting in the name of seeking justice and judicial conscience.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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