Hearing committee unanimously endorses Raut for Chief Justice

KATHMANDU: Prakash Man Singh Raut has been unanimously approved as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee endorsed Raut’s nomination following a hearing on Wednesday.

A meeting of the Constitutional Council held on September 16 nominated the senior-most justice for the top post in the apex court. He will now be appointed by President Ram Chandra Paudel as the next Chief Justice. Raut will assume office at the Supreme Court when the incumbent Chief Justice, Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, retires on October 6.

Six complaints had been filed against Raut in the hearing committee. Members of the hearing committee held discussions with the complainants on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Raut presented his action plan to the hearing committee.

Born in 1961 in Katari, Udayapur, Raut practiced law for more than three decades before becoming a Supreme Court Justice. He earned the title of Senior Advocate in 2012.

Raut was elected as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association in 2006, contesting the election from a panel of lawyers close to the Nepali Congress.