Supreme Court Rules Appointment of Executive Chairman at Nepal Airlines Corporation as Illegal

The Supreme Court has declared that the appointment of 80-year-old Maheshwarbhakta Shrestha as the Executive Chairman and General Manager of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) was prima facie illegal. The court issued an order invalidating the appointment, stating that the decision made by the Council of Ministers on 30 Ashad 2083 BS (mid-July 2026) violated the established standards and the corporation’s procedures. Director Upendra Bahadur Karki had demanded his own appointment as Executive Chairman, but the Supreme Court found this claim to be legally unfounded. Kathmandu, 5 Bhadra.

The Supreme Court explained that the government’s decision to appoint an 80-year-old individual as the Executive Chairman and General Manager of Nepal Airlines Corporation was unlawful. On 30 Ashad 2083 BS, the government had appointed Maheshwarbhakta Shrestha, aged 80, to the post of Executive Chairman at NAC. Following the annulment of this appointment, Shrestha was dismissed, which prompted Upendra Bahadur Karki to file a writ petition in the Supreme Court.

During Thursday’s hearing, a bench comprising Justices Sunil Kumar Pokharel and Bal Krishna Dhakal ruled that Shrestha’s appointment contravened both the government’s standards and the corporation’s operational rules. According to Article 3(gh) of the Government of Nepal’s Standard for Appointment and Nomination of Officials and Members of Public Bodies, 2073 BS, an executive chief must be between 30 and 65 years of age, and officials must have completed a minimum age of 35.

The Supreme Court’s order states, “According to the prescribed standards and procedures, no individual over 65 years of age shall be appointed to the post of General Manager. At the time of his appointment, Maheshwarbhakta Shrestha was 80 years old, demonstrating that the appointment was flawed.” The order further confirms that the Council of Ministers’ decision to appoint Shrestha as Executive Chairman with the responsibilities of General Manager was unlawful and therefore invalidated.