KATHMANDU: Shankar Pokharel has expressed dissatisfaction over the latest decision of the Constitutional Council and the government’s overall working style, accusing the administration of attempting to bring the judiciary under political influence.
Pokharel made the remarks through social media after the Constitutional Council recommended Manoj Kumar Sharma, who is fourth in judicial seniority, for appointment as the next chief justice.
The senior CPN-UML leader claimed that the government’s intent had become clear after it postponed the parliamentary session and moved ahead with decisions through an ordinance-backed Constitutional Council meeting.
He described the decision to bypass three senior Supreme Court judges as an unusual step for an institution as dignified as the judiciary.
Pokharel further alleged that the government was attempting to keep the judiciary within its sphere of influence rather than respecting it as an independent constitutional body.
“Even when the judiciary faced accusations of politicization in the past, judicial activism was often seen against the government,” Pokharel wrote. “Perhaps the current government is now trying to establish its own alignment within the judiciary.”
According to him, such actions weaken the core democratic principle of checks and balances that underpin parliamentary democracy.
Pokharel warned that increasing political interference in the judiciary could push the country toward authoritarianism.
He also argued that halting a parliamentary session that had already been called and introducing an ordinance was not merely a procedural matter, but a sign of deeper institutional concerns.
Referring to political developments on September 8 and 9, 2025, Pokharel said the country and society were now facing the consequences of failing to strongly resist what he described as “wrong tendencies” at the time.
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