High-Stakes Showdown: Constitutional Council Convenes to Appoint Nepal's New Chief Justice!

The Constitutional Council is scheduled to meet today, Thursday, Baisakh 24, at 5:00 PM at the Prime Minister's Office in Singha Durbar. According to a notice issued by the Council's Secretariat on Wednesday, the primary agenda for the meeting is to move forward with the appointment process for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Expected attendees include Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal, National Assembly Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal, Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam, Leader of the Opposition Bhishmaraj Angdembe, and Deputy Speaker Rubi Kumari. Currently, several high-level constitutional positions, including the Chief Justice, remain vacant. In the absence of a permanent appointment, Sapana Pradhan Malla has been serving as the Acting Chief Justice.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called the meeting in his capacity as Council Chairperson following President Ram Chandra Paudel’s issuance of an ordinance regarding the Constitutional Council on Tuesday. Under the provisions of the new ordinance, the quorum for the council meeting has been set at four members, with decisions to be made by a simple majority of those present.