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Nepal's supreme court orders reinstatement of first female chief justice

Xinhua, May 5, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Nepali Supreme Court on Friday directed the Parliament to immediately reinstate the country's first female Chief Justice Sushila Karki, who was suspended following an impeachment motion earlier this week.

Supreme Court Justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana issued the order against the impeachment motion filed by the ruling coalition, stating that the allegations made against the chief justice were unconstitutional.

In the first case of its kind in the country's judicial history, the sitting chief justice was suspended from her capacity after the ruling party parliamentarians accused her of bias and interfering with executive powers.

Responding to a writ petition against the motion to impeach Karki, the Supreme Court ordered the House that she should be allowed to return to her work to be effective from Friday.

Parliamentarians from the ruling parties Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) moved the House against Karki after the apex court last month overturned the government's choice for the head of police.

The Nepali government had appointed Jay Bahadur Chand as the chief of police; however, the court ruled that senior-most police officer Nawaraj Silwal should take the top job.

The impeachment motion was highly criticized by human rights bodies and various sections of society in Nepal while it also triggered protests within the ruling coalition.

The 64-year-old Karki's tenure is going to expire next month. Endit