Six justices recommended for Supreme Court

Kathmandu / Nov. 21: A meeting of the Judicial Council held on Tuesday decided to recommend six justices for the Supreme Court.

The meeting of the council decided to recommend four judges of the high courts–Sanranga Subedi, Abdul Aziz Musalman, Mahesh Sharma Paudyal, and Tek Prasad Dhungana–as well as Sunil Pokharel and Bal Krishna Dhakal.

Pokharel is a former Secretary General of the Nepal Bar Association while Dhakal also served as the secretary for the Supreme Court Bar Association.

The nominees for Supreme Court justices will be appointed by the President after they are confirmed through a parliamentary hearing.

Currently, there are seven vacant positions of judges in the 21-strong apex court.

For over two years, the court never had all the positions filled with some positions being left vacant for over two years now. Among the existing 14 justices, Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada retires in March after reaching the age of 65.

Only two justices have been added to the top court since March last year. Binod Sharma, a high court judge, has been promoted to the Supreme Court.