Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Constitutional Council has recommended the appointment of Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma as the Chief Justice, according to Prime Minister Balen Shah’s political adviser Ashim Shah.
Sharma is fourth in the hierarchy of Supreme Court Justices. This marks the first time in the country’s judicial history that the Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, has bypassed seniority in selecting the Chief Justice.
The Constitutional Council comprises the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, the National Assembly Chairperson, and the leader of the main opposition party. Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs takes the place of the Chief Justice in meetings convened to recommend the Chief Justice.
Senior-most Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla has been serving as the Acting Chief Justice since Prakash Man Singh Raut took retirement on April 1.
Earlier, the Judicial Council had recommended six names – Malla, Kumar Regmi, Hari Prasad Phuya, Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, Dr Nahakul Subedi, and Til Prasad Shrestha- for appointment as the Chief Justice on March 10.
The parliamentary hearing committee must now approve Dr Sharma’s appointment as the Chief Justice. President Ramchandra Paudel will appoint Dr Sharma as the 33rd Chief Justice after the parliamentary hearing committee approves the Council’s recommendation.
Dr Sharma did his BL from Tribhuvan University and LLM from the University of Pune, India. He obtained his doctorate in Labor Law from the Tribhuvan University. Dr Sharam took his advocate license in 1995. He was appointed Supreme Court Justice in 2019.
