Mishra sworn-in as 28th Chief Justice of Nepal

athmandu / Sept 10: Chief Justice-elect Om Prakash Mishra has been sworn-in as the 28th chief justice of the Supreme Court on Monday evening.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered oath of office and secrecy to Mishra amidst a ceremony at Sheetal Niwas.

Vice president, prime minister, justices and judges of Supreme Court and High Court, government secretaries and high level officials were present on the occasion.

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee unanimously endorsed Justice Om Prakash Mishra as the country’s new chief justice.

Earlier today, Justice Om Prakash Mishra had expressed his commitment to making necessary reforms in justice mechanisms while adhering to zero tolerance against corruption in his address to the Parliamentary Hearing Committee at Singha Durbar.

Mishra said that he would continue works to protect rule of law, good governance and ensure citizen’s rights to help realize development and prosperity in the country.

Mishra is the senior-most justice after Justice Deepak Raj Joshee, who had earlier been recommended for the position of CJ. He was later rejected by the PHC on August 3. Mishra assumed the duty of Acting CJ from August 5 when Joshee went on a 15-day leave.

Mishra, a resident of Raipur of Rupandehi district, was born on January 1, 1954. He holds a master’s degree in Comparative Law from Delhi University (1989) and another master’s degree in Political Science from Tribhuvan University (1985). He joined judicial service in 1981 as a section officer and was appointed as the additional district judge in 1985. He was appointed as a judge of Appellate Court in 2006 and as Special Court judge in 2008. He served as the Special Court judge from 2008 to 2013. He again served as an Appellate Court judge for a year before being appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court on May 27, 2014.

As per the constitutional provision, justices who have served at least three years in the Supreme Court qualify to be considered for CJ nomination.