Call for clipping CJ's wings to curb corruption

Published On: March 26, 2018 03:15 AM NPT By: Ananta Raj Luitel


KATHMANDU, March 26: Endorsing a 28-point declaration and calling for curtailing the powers of the chief justice (CJ) to control corruption in the judiciary, the 14th National Conference of Lawyers concluded in Nepalgunj on Sunday. 

The conference also called on the CJ and the Judicial Council to make public the property details of the judges of all three tiers of the judiciary in the country. 

Stating that making public the property details of the judges is necessary in order to keep the independence of the judiciary and the judges, the conference stressed promoting judicial integrity.

The conference also called on the Judicial Council, Nepal Bar Council (NBC) and other regulatory bodies concerned to be strictly vigilant against the activities of the judges, court staffers, lawyers and brokers and take action over corruption and irregularities if required. The conference concluded that corruption has thrived in the judiciary through a nexus of these four. 

“We also condemned any kind of influence over and pressure on the judiciary from any quarter and urged everyone to refrain from any activity which may undermine the independence of the judiciary,” advocate Sunil Pokhrel, a former secretary general of Nepal Bar Association (NBA) told Republica. 

The conference also called on the acting chief justice to set up a separate commercial bench in the apex court in order to effectively handle commercial cases.

The conference also called for devising a procedure to address the problem witnessed in issuing interim and interlocutory orders, arguing that the judges have not been following uniformity while issuing such orders. 

Concluding that the current efforts of transitional justice mechanisms are not convincing, the lawyers' conference also called on the government to enact laws according to the directives of the Supreme Court to ensure the right to truth, justice and reparation to the victims of the decade-long conflict. 

Stating that the deadline for promulgating the laws in relation to the enforcement of the fundamental rights ensured by the constitution is expiring very soon, the lawyers' conference called upon the government to promulgate the required laws by meeting the deadline prior to the third Constitution Day in October. 

The conference also stressed the need for setting up research departments at NBA and NBC in order to monitor the activities of the lawyers and implementation of the declarations. In order to ensure the common people's access to justice, the conference emphasized that every lawyer should provide some legal aid to poor people and emphasized that the umbrella organization of the lawyers should not remain silent on major incidents relating to the judiciary in the future.


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