The trade union of Supreme Court (SC) has warned the Judicial Council that it will seek resignation of its office-bearers and not cooperate in functioning of the Apex Court if the recent recommendations and appointments of judges to the SC and the High Court (HC) are not corrected.
The SC unit of the official trade union of civil servants issuing a press statement on Monday has given the warning saying the Parliamentary Hearing Committee should correct the recommendations for SC and the council that for HC.
"We inform that we will be forced to start a non-cooperation movement demanding resignation of the office-bearers of Judicial Council and other programs to put pressure if the recommendations are not corrected," the statement reads.
The trade union has stated that the political sharing of spoils in the judiciary instead of recommending independent, neutral and competent persons has hit the image of the judiciary. It has also drawn the attention of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee to not endorse the incompetent and unqualified persons recommended to the SC by betraying the Constitution, laws and traditions.
It has stressed that competent individuals with judicial integrity and impeccable moral character who have earned reputation in public life should be appointed judges.
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 while Sharma is the nephew of former CJ Damodar Sharma.
The recommendations and appointments of some have been widely criticized. The issue was raised even during the conference of judges that started a day after the appointments.
The SC Bar Association on Monday decided to ask the bar's representative in the Judicial Council about the grounds and reasons for recommendations and appointments of judges to the SC and the HC respectively.
