Complaint deadline ends for CJ nominee Sharma; hearing set for Wednesday

KATHMANDU: The deadline for filing complaints against Chief Justice nominee Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, proposed for the 33rd Chief Justice, expired on Monday following a Cabinet decision on May 7, marking a key step in the parliamentary hearing process required before final approval.

According to Parliament Secretariat Secretary Dr. Rojanath Pandey, any complaints received will be distributed to members of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee on Tuesday.

The committee will then allow Dr. Sharma to respond to the allegations on Wednesday.

Sources within the committee said the hearing session is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, during which Dr. Sharma will address the complaints before the committee moves toward a final decision and recommendation.

If endorsed, Dr. Sharma could be sworn in as Chief Justice by the President as early as Thursday.

Parliamentary hearing history shows that only one Chief Justice nominee, Deepak Raj Joshi, has ever been rejected.

He was dismissed on Aug 30, 2018, by a two-thirds majority of the then parliamentary hearing committee. Since then, no other judicial or constitutional appointment has been blocked.

However, observers note that the current composition of the hearing committee, which holds a majority from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), makes the possibility of rejection appear unlikely.