Parliament grills complainants over SC justice nominees

KATHMANDU: The Parliamentary Hearing Committee on Friday held discussions with complainants who filed objections against three individuals nominated for appointment as Justices of the Supreme Court.

During the meeting held at Singha Durbar, the committee reviewed complaints lodged against proposed justices Meghraj Pokharel, Shreekanta Paudel, and Shanti Singh Thapa.

Complainant Manoj Kumar Kshetri accused nominee Meghraj Pokharel of forging documents to encroach on public land.

He stated that although the Kathmandu District Court ruled that the documents were not forged, the judgment was influenced by Pokharel.

He also mentioned that when he lodged a complaint at the Nepal Bar Council, he received a letter claiming the council lacked jurisdiction and directly addressed him, which he found inappropriate.

In the case of proposed justice Shanti Singh Thapa, a complaint alleged that she failed to take necessary action after a court employee from Banke District Court deliberately filed a case with malicious intent.

Another complainant, Aarti Rawal, accused Thapa of misusing power and authority during her tenure as Chief Judge of the Dipayal High Court. Rawal claimed she was unjustly detained for 25 days on a charge of document forgery. She stated, “In 2079 BS, a forged document case was filed against me. I had approached the Supreme Court for justice against another judge’s decision, but instead, I was silenced and detained using political power. I have now been fully acquitted of the charges.”

Pokharel and Paudel each face two separate complaints, while Thapa has one formal complaint against her.

Following the discussions, the committee decided to conduct a formal parliamentary hearing with the three proposed justices and the nominated member of the Judicial Council this coming Sunday.