KATHMANDU: The Judicial Council has appointed 36 district judges without requiring them to pass the eligibility examination for the post.

Following the surprising revelation that only one candidate had passed the examination conducted for the selection of district judges, the Council decided to appoint judges regardless of their performance in the Public Service Commission (PSC) examination.

During the judicial council meeting held on Tuesday, the Council also announced the transfer of judges in addition to the appointments. This transfer includes one high court judge and 18 district court judges.

Out of the 211 candidates who participated in the PSC-conducted examination, only Parasmani Pokharel, an employee of the judicial service, managed to pass.

As per Clauses (b) and (c) of Article 149 (2) of the Constitution, 40% of the total vacancies must be filled through open competition among officers with a Bachelor’s Degree in law and at least three years of experience in the gazetted second-class post of the judicial service.

Accordingly, 80 percent of vacant posts should be filled through open competition.

In the vacancy announcement, the Commission initiated the process of filling 29 positions, including 15 internal vacancies, 7 open vacancies, 2 positions for women, 2 for janajati, 2 for Madhesi, and 1 for Dalits.

However, since most candidates failed the PSC examination, the Judicial Council opted to select and appoint candidates without requiring the examination.