The full court meeting has decided to pick benches at the Supreme Court (SC) by draw.
The meeting of 18 SC justices apart from CJ Cholendra Shumsher Rana has taken the decision to that regard. The chief justice (CJ) will not get to pick the benches and assign cases after the full court meeting on Thursday amended the regulation for picking benches.
"The full court meeting has endorsed the regulation and directive about system of draw. The system of draw will be implemented after the endorsed regulation and directive are sent to the Law Ministry and published in the Nepal Gazette, and another full court meeting takes a decision to that regard," a justice told Setopati after the meeting.
The meeting of 18 justices not including CJ Rana has sent the decision taken by the full court to CJ Rana and SC Chief Registrar Lal Bahadur Kunwar. "It will be passed after they sign on it. We hope they will sign," the justice added.
The justices have been demanding CJ Rana's resignation following controversies including picking bench in different cases including those about HoR dissolution, accusations about CJ Rana getting a share of spoils in appointments at constitutional bodies, involvement of CJ Rana in the case about the Constitutional Council, delay in the hearing of case filed making CJ Rana a defendant, and allegations about him seeking share in the Cabinet. They have been boycotting hearing of all the cases apart from habeas corpus petitions.
The agitating justices will conduct hearing after the system of draw is implemented but they say they will not share joint bench with CJ Rana.
They will hear cases including habeas corpus petitions, withdrawal of appeals, amendment of verdict, withdrawal of application and others from Friday until the system of draw is implemented.
