Four judges recommended for Nepal’s Supreme Court — Kathmandu Post
Nepal’s Judicial Council on October 6 recommended four High Court judges for appointment to the Supreme Court. The list includes Pokhara High Court Chief Judge Ratna Bahadur Bagchand and judges Chandra Bahadur Saru, Janak Pandey, and Gokarna Dangi. The Council could have nominated up to five candidates, including in view of a vacancy expected after Justice Binod Sharma retires in November, but left one position unfilled, Kathmandu Post reports.
Criticism of the selection
Of the four recommended candidates, only one had previously worked in a district court and risen through all levels of the judicial system. This has caused discontent among judges who expected promotion after serving in lower courts. Before the appointments, Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma said he would give preference to career judges.
Judges familiar with the procedure say that Tek Narayan Kunwar and Narishwar Bhandari could have been among those recommended based on seniority and performance criteria. Both were included among the 10 judges recognized this year for case adjudication: Kunwar ranked first and Bhandari fifth.
The Judicial Council explained that Saru’s candidacy was selected, among other reasons, to ensure representation of indigenous peoples. Before their appointment to the High Courts on January 13, 2017, Pandey and Dangi were engaged in private legal practice.
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Shortage of career judges
Nepal’s Supreme Court currently has 17 judges, and none began their career in a district court and subsequently rose to the highest instance. According to data cited by the publication, seven judges were appointed directly from legal practice, while 12 in total, or about 70%, have experience in private practice. The last career judge on the Supreme Court was former Chief Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, who retired on October 5, 2024.
In a statement dated July 31, 2025, the Forum of Former Judges of Nepal urged the Judicial Council to prioritize candidates whose work had already been tested in district courts. The organization proposed that at least 80% of High Court and Supreme Court judges should have experience working in district courts.
As of mid-August, 152 judges served in the High Courts: 70 came from legal practice, 56 were promoted from district courts, and another 26 came from judicial or legal services. Former Supreme Court Justice Krishna Jung Rayamajhi said that political bargaining is becoming increasingly important in the selection process. Nepal Bar Association President Bijaya Kumar Mishra, meanwhile, believes that candidates’ professional competence and integrity, rather than their previous place of work, should be decisive.
