General Secretary Shankar Pokharel Comments on Parliament Session Suspension and Chief Justice Recommendation

Shankar Pokharel, General Secretary of the CPN-UML, stated that the suspension of the parliamentary session and the recommendation of the Chief Justice through an ordinance reflect the decisions made by the Constitutional Council. Pokharel accused the government of ignoring senior judges while recommending the Chief Justice, seeing this as an effort to bring the judiciary within its influence. He warned that such a move would weaken the balance of power in parliamentary democracy and increase the risk of the country heading towards authoritarianism. Kathmandu, 25 Baishakh.

Pokharel observed that the decision to suspend the already summoned parliamentary session and issue a recommendation via ordinance is not merely a procedural issue but raises concerns about the government’s intentions. He said, “This was clearly reflected in the decision made by the Constitutional Council.” He criticized the unprecedented recommendation of the Chief Justice while sidelining three senior judges in a prestigious institution like the judiciary. He added that this indicated the government’s attempt to keep the judiciary under its own sphere of influence rather than as an independent body.

“Even when the judiciary was often accused of politicization, judicial activism usually worked against the government,” Pokharel said. “It seems the current government is now trying to establish judicial favoritism on its side.” He highlighted that such actions weaken the balance of power in parliamentary democracy and increase the risk of the country falling into authoritarian rule. Reflecting on past political events, he further added, “The society and nation still seem to be suffering from not having stood firmly against the wrong practices of Baishakh 23 and 24 in time.”