Chief Justice (CJ) Cholendra Shumsher Rana has said he has vested interest in controversial recommendation of Manoj Kumar Sharma, the nephew of former CJ Damodar Sharma, to the Supreme Court (SC).
Giving an unscheduled speech during the conference of judges in Kathmandu on Saturday after judges criticized the recent recommendations and appointments for SC and High Court (HC) justices, he called Sharma the diamond in the legal sector.
The then CJ Sharma had appointed his nephew as Appellate Court additional justice. He was relieved of duty after the Constitution promulgated in 2015 did not keep the position of additional justice. He had been practicing as an advocate since then.
"He is a diamond with a PhD who was thrown out of the judiciary. I have picked the diamond and brought him to the SC," a justice quoted CJ Rana as saying during the conference. "I have vested interest in this."
The then CJ Sharma had acquitted Rana after the SC made a judicial comment on the verdicts he gave while at the then Appellate Court, and brought him to the SC.
Rana, who was not scheduled to speak during the program, stood up and started to defend the recent recommendations and appointments after judges of district courts, HC and SC all strongly criticized that.
He pointed how justices in the past have also been appointed in the same manner. "Justices have been recommended in the past in the same manner as it has been now. You didn't speak against that then. Why are you blaming me now?" he fumed.
He claimed that recommendation and appointment of judges have become controversial due to the structure of Judicial Council (JC) and added that he cannot reveal all the intricacies of the appointment process.
"You all have been appointed in the same manner in the past. You all came from nowhere to jump the line and now point your fingers when others come in the same manner," he continued his tirade.
"I have the courage to take back my recommendations if they are wrong. But can you all who were appointed in the same manner resign? Let us all write a collective resignation letter and make a list. I am ready to sign on that first," he threatened.
The Judicial Council on April 2 had recommended five justices for the SC and 18 for HC. Chief Justice of Patan High Court Prakash Dhungana and that of Surkhet High Court Sushma Lata Mathema, and senior advocate Kumar Regmi, and advocates Hari Phuyal and Manoj Kumar Sharma were recommended for SC.
Regmi is considered close to the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) and Phuyal close to the ruling CPN.
