Top leaders agree to convene Constitutional Council meeting for CJ appointment

KATHMANDU: The top leaders of three parties- Prime Minister and CPN-Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli- have agreed to convene the Constitutional Council meeting for the appointment of Chief Justice.

According to Prime Minister Dahal’s Secretariat, the top leaders agreed to call the Constitutional Meeting during their Monday meeting at UML Chairman Oli’s residence in Balkot.

“After Prime Minister Dahal proposed to call the Constitutional Council meeting to discuss the appointment of the Chief Justice, the top leaders agreed to call the meeting citing ad-hoc status could not be taken much ahead,” the Secretariat said.

UML chair Oli accepted Prime Minister Dahal’s proposal readily, the source added.

The Supreme Court has been functioning under Acting Chief Justice for more than 18 months since the NC and Maoist Center filed an impeachment proposal against the then Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana.

According to sources, the leaders discussed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Bill and the measures to make parliamentary sessions more effective.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire facilitated the Monday meeting held at Balkot.