Constitutional Council meeting called for today

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, May 7: A meeting of the Constitutional Council (CC) has been called to advance the appointment process of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. 

This is the first time the CC is going to meet following the formation of the present government.

The Council Secretariat convened the meeting following a directive from Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who also chairs the Constitutional Council. 

According to a notice issued by the Secretariat of the Constitutional Council on Wednesday, the meeting will be held at 5:00 pm on Thursday, at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Singha Durbar. 

The meeting is expected to focus on the appointment of the Chief Justice. 

Constitutional Council members, Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal, Chairperson of the National Assembly Narayan Prasad Dahal, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam, leader of the opposition in the House of Representatives Bhishmraj Angdembe and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Rubi Kumari have been invited to attend the meeting. 

The first meeting was called after the President Ramchandra Paudel issued an ordinance on the Constitutional Council (Work, Duties, Powers and Procedures) 2083 on Tuesday. 

The ordinance revises the decision-making threshold of the Constitutional Council, a six-member body responsible for recommending appointments to key constitutional offices, including Chief Justice, Election Commissioners and head of anti-corruption body. 

Under the new provision, a meeting can proceed with at least four members present and decision can be made by a majority of those attending. 

Previously, the law required a quorum of five members, with decisions must initially needing to be unanimous. If consensus couldn’t be reached, a majority of the full membership was required in a subsequent meeting.