SC turns down case demanding appointment of officials in NHRC

The Supreme Court today refused to register a writ petition demanding appointment of senior officials in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

The writ petition was turned down by the court administration as it made Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Poudel one of the defendants, advocate Shyam Babu Kafle, one of the four petitioners, told Nepalnews citing the reaction of the SC officials.

SC officials also said the registrar, who joins office on Tuesday, would decide whether to register the case.

Saying that absence of senior officials in NHRC has hampered the monitoring of human rights situation, the writ demanded court order to concerned state agencies and responsible officer-bearers, including the CJ and the Prime Minister, to immediately start the appointment process.

The posts of chairman and members of the NHRC remain vacant for the last nine months.

Earlier, the government had nominated former Chief Justice Bishwo Nath Upadhaya as chairman and Gauri Pradhan and Lila Pathak as members of the NHRC, but they didn't join office amidst controversies over their nomination. nepalnews.com mk Feb 18 07