Who Is Sushila Karki, Nepal's New PM With An India Connection

Kathmandu is bracing for a new chapter in its tumultuous political history, as former chief justice Sushila Karki was sworn in tonight as Nepal's interim Prime Minister. 

The consensus behind this step, according to sources, was reached between President Ramchandra Paudel, representatives of Nepal's Generation Z protest movement, and the chief of the Nepal Army, General Ashok Raj Sigdel. The deal was finalised after days of unprecedented protests that culminated in the resignation of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli.

From Chief Justice to Prime Minister

Sushila Karki, 73, is not a politician by background. She is best known for her tenure as the first woman chief justice of Nepal, a position she held from July 2016 to June 2017. Her time on the bench was defined by a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption, a stance that earned her both admiration and opposition.

Her reputation as an upright jurist has propelled her into the political spotlight at a time when Nepal is convulsed by mass protests against corruption and misrule. A large section of the protesters pressed for her appointment as interim prime minister.

Her selection has already drawn comparisons to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was invited to head Bangladesh's interim government last year following a student-led uprising that unseated Sheikh Hasina.

Early Life and Education

Born the eldest of seven children in a farming family in 1952, Sushila Karki grew up in eastern Nepal. Her family had close ties with Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, Nepal's first democratically elected prime minister in 1959.

Ms Karki completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Mahendra Morang Campus in 1972, followed by a master's in political science at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in India in 1975. Three years later, in 1978, she obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu.

She briefly worked as an assistant teacher at Mahendra Multiple Campus in Dharan in 1985, while also establishing herself in legal practice in Biratnagar from 1979 onwards.

Judicial Career and Controversy

Her rise in judiciary began in 2009 when she was appointed a temporary judge at Nepal's Supreme Court. A year later, she was confirmed as a permanent judge, and by July 2016, she had risen to the top post of chief justice.

In April 2017, lawmakers from the then-ruling Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) filed an impeachment motion against her, alleging bias in a ruling that disqualified the powerful chief of the anti-corruption watchdog. The motion led to her immediate suspension.

The attempt backfired. Public protests erupted in defence of judicial independence, and Nepal's Supreme Court itself intervened, halting further proceedings. The impeachment motion was withdrawn within weeks, and Ms Karki returned to her post before retiring a month later in June 2017.

During her time as chief justice, she presided over several landmark cases, including the conviction of Information and Communications Minister Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta in a corruption case. 

The India Connection

As a student at BHU in Varanasi, she met Durga Prasad Subedi, who would later become her husband. Mr Subedi was a youth leader of the Nepali Congress and played a central role in a dramatic episode: the hijacking of a domestic Nepal Airlines flight on June 10, 1973.

The plane, carrying around 4 million Nepalese rupees (then approximately $400,000) belonging to Nepal's state bank, was forced to land in Forbesganj in Bihar's Purnea district. Onboard at the time was Hindi film actress Mala Sinha.

According to reports in The New York Times, the hijackers displayed a pistol to the pilot and demanded diversion to India. No passengers were harmed, and after three boxes of cash were offloaded, the plane was allowed to continue its journey.

The funds were handed over to Girija Prasad Koirala, later a four-time prime minister of Nepal, who was waiting on the Indian side. The money was reportedly used to purchase arms for the Nepali Congress's armed struggle against the monarchy.

Mr Subedi and others involved in the hijacking were arrested by Indian authorities within a year and served two years in jail before returning to Nepal ahead of the 1980 referendum.

The Protests That Brought Her To Power

At least 51 people were killed and more than 1,300 injured this week after police opened fire on protesters who had defied curfews. The demonstrations began after the Oli government imposed a nationwide social media ban, seen as a bid to stifle dissent. The ban has since been revoked, but the unrest escalated until Mr Oli resigned.

Police confirmed the casualties, which included 21 protesters, nine prisoners, three police officers, and 18 others. Families are only now beginning to collect the bodies of their relatives from Kathmandu hospitals.

Shops reopened in parts of Kathmandu on Friday, and soldiers were seen withdrawing from the streets. Police, now carrying batons instead of rifles, maintained a presence at key intersections.