When Sushila Karki Was Almost Sacked As Nepal Chief Justice By Former PM

Seven years before she became Nepal's first woman prime minister, Sushila Karki faced an impeachment threat as the country's Chief Justice. At the time, months before her retirement, then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, and several MPs moved to remove Ms Karki from her post. She is the first and only woman in Nepalese history to hold the top judicial position.

The confrontation centred on a verdict. Ms Karki's bench overruled the government's appointment of the national police chief, arguing the most senior officer should be given the position.

The ruling coalition, including the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), Nepali Congress and smaller parties, reportedly responded by suspending Ms Karki and filing an impeachment motion against her for judicial overreach. At least 249 lawmakers signed the motion, surpassing the quarter of parliament required to initiate an investigation.

Nepalese media reported that disagreements within the coalition over the appointment added to the tensions.

An impeachment committee was formed to examine the case, which attracted global attention, casting Ms Karki as a symbol of judicial independence in a politically unstable Nepal.

International bodies rallied to her defence.

Brad Adams, then Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said at the time, “The ruling coalition's move to impeach Chief Justice Karki is nothing short of an attempt to override a judicial decision. This violates the fundamental principle that the judiciary should be able to function without interference from political forces.”

Matt Pollard, then head of the International Commission of Jurists' Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, said, “This impeachment motion, the first against a sitting Chief Justice in Nepal's history, raises very serious concerns about the independence of Nepal's Supreme Court and the separation of powers in the country. The impeachment motion seems timed to suspend Chief Justice Karki just as she was scheduled to hear a politically controversial case.”

Even former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli criticised the government's move, while political analyst Lok Raj Baral told Al Jazeera, “Karki took a tough stance against corruption, but she was a bit aggressive, which annoyed the politicians.”

According to reports, an intervention from then Nepal Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi, who said he had not been consulted about the police chief appointment, forced Prachanda to retreat.

The Supreme Court also ordered Parliament to put the impeachment motion on hold.

Ms Karki retired in June 2017, with the court ruling that the accusations against her were baseless.