KATHMANDU: Hearing of cases at the Supreme Court (SC) looks uncertain today as well since the SC Justices are upping the ante against Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana, calling for his resignation.

The writ petitions scheduled for hearing last week had been boycotted by Justices.

All the Supreme Court Justices have concluded that CJ Rana should step down on moral grounds.

Meanwhile, SC judges, including Deepak Kumar Karki, Meera Khadka, Harikrishna Karki, Bishwambhar Shrestha, Dr. Anand Mohan Bhattarai, Prakash Man Singh Raut, Bamkumar Shrestha, Tanka Bahadur Moktan, Prakash Kumar Dhungana, Sushmalata Mathema, Kumar Regmi, Hari Prasad Phuyal, Manoj Kumar Sharma, Kumar Chudal and Nahakul Subedi, among others have been demanding the resignation of CJ Rana.

Rana has been dragged into controversy after he allegedly demanded a share in ministerial portfolios and constitutional bodies.

Meanwhile, the Nepal Bar Association had on October 29 given a five-day ultimatum to Chief Justice Rana to resign while also announcing a protest program to mount pressure on the CJ.

A meeting of the Nepal Bar Working Committee decided to protest with advocates tying black armbands in the Supreme Court from Sunday to Wednesday.

Stating that the CJ could not uphold the dignity of the court and has not been able to curb malpractices and corruption, Nepal Bar also demanded the CJ not to issue an order or take the decision from the Supreme Court bench.

Nepal Bar Association’s phase-wise agitation

Nepal Bar Association is launching a phase-wise agitation from today demanding the resignation of Chief Justice Rana.

The Association is holding a protest program at the Supreme Court from 10 am to 11 am today.

The Bar has urged all legal practitioners in the Kathmandu Valley to participate in the protest program.

Independent legal practitioners against protesting judges and Bar

Meanwhile, independent legal practitioners have decided to protest against the SC justices and the Nepal Bar Association.

The Independent National Law Practitioners’ Campaign is to protest against judges who do not even look into detention cases, illegal detention and habeas corpus writs of detainees by wearing black bands in the SC Nepal Bar Association premises.

Political parties undecided

Meanwhile, the political parties are yet to make their stance clear on the SC dispute.

It should be noted that Chairman of the ruling CPN-Maoist Center Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” had on Saturday said that the ruling coalition would form a collective view on the ongoing dispute about the Chief Justice.

Chairman Dahal had also stated that the coalition has not been able to discuss the issue as the leaders could not meet due to some circumstances.

Prachanda said that they would bring out their views on the CJ as soon as a meeting of the coalition is held.

He said, “We will come out with an opinion on the issue soon.”