KATHMANDU: Supreme Court Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut has been appointed as a member of the Judicial Council.

Justice Raut’s appointment follows the mandatory retirement of Supreme Court Justice Dr. Ananda Mohan Bhattarai on June 15 due to age limits.

Chief Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, who also chairs the Judicial Council, appointed Raut to the position on Sunday.

Raut, appointed as a Supreme Court Justice in July 2016, is in the running to become the next Chief Justice. Chief Justice Shrestha is set to retire on October 5 due to age limits, making Raut’s appointment as the next Chief Justice nearly certain.

If appointed in October, Raut will serve as Chief Justice for approximately 18 months.

Before becoming a judge, Raut was an advocate and served as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Nepal Law Campus.