Lawyers’ protest against Supreme Court

A recognizable mass of lawyers staged a protest condemning the decision of Supreme Court (SC), which quashed the 17 out of 24 writ petitions, which had challenged appointment of Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi as chief of the Council of Ministers.

Around 500 lawyers participated the protest organized inside the SC’s premises. In order to show their dissatisfaction towards the decision of SC, they had covered their mouth with black cloth. After an hour long protest, at a corner meeting organized by Nepal Bar Association (NBA), senor law workers accused SC for compromising its independence.

On Sep. 5, a three-member special bench of Acting Chief Justice Damodar Prasad Sharma, Prakash Osti and Tarka Raj Bhatta dismissed 17 writ petitions. The bench stated that the apex court has scheduled the hearing of separate seven petitions against Regmi’s appointment as Chief of Council of Ministers, for Sep. 19 and if those dismissed petitions had been processed ahead, that would have been insignificant.

Almost all the participants showed their serious concern over SC’s decision. They all accused SC for its unlawful step. A participant Dinesh Tripathi said, “Everyone presented in the protest had a common view that SC was wrong and unlawful as its step of dismissing the petitions was unconstitutional.”

A press note released by Bar Association of SC blamed SC for violating the international norms and values related to law. It demanded that Acting Chief Justice, Damodar Prashad Sharma should publicly have to make commitment of not repeating such mistake in upcoming days.

At the corner meeting, NBA president Krishna Hari Kari raised the issue of unsituational raid by Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) on the firm of senior Advocate Shamvu Thapa. A team from DRI raid Adv. Shamvu Thapa’s firm, Legal Advisors Forum, at Putalisadak on Sep. 6. According to Thapa, the team seized the CPU of desktops, Laptops, VAT bills and other materials.

On Sep. 8 Adv. Thapa filled a writ petition at SC saying that DRI official’s raid was illegal. He had his hearing of case on the same day. A single bench of Justice Prakash Osti, after hearing the case issued his interim decision saying that the DRI should bring all the seized items to SC. He also dismissed the DRI’s order which had called Adv. Thapa for further investigation. 

Kathmandu, Sep. 9

Abhishek Jha