Manoj Sharma has been recommended for the post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal.
A meeting of the Constitutional Council held on Thursday recommended Sharma as the Chief Justice. He was in the fourth rank among the six individuals recommended by the Judicial Council for Chief Justice.
Despite being fourth in line of seniority, Sharma was chosen by the CC meeting over Acting Chief Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla, Justice Kumar Regmi, and Justice Hari Prasad Phuyal, who ranked first, second, and third, respectively.
He had been appointed a justice of the Supreme Court on April 19, 2019. Now, he is poised to lead the Supreme Court for 6 years.
Sharma must now undergo a parliamentary hearing. Upon approval by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC), his name will be forwarded to the President for the formal appointment. Once sworn in, he is set to serve until May 2032.
The post was lying vacant after Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut retired on the ground of age-limit on April 1. The senior-most Justice of the Supreme Court Sapana Pradhan Malla took over the responsibility of the apex court as the Acting Chief Justice following Raut's retirement.
Who is Manoj Sharma?
Sharma, who was born in Parsa on June 18, 1970, did BL from Nepal Law Campus, Kathmandu and LLM from University of Pune, India. He obtained Doctorate in Labour Law from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He enrolled as an Advocate in 1995 and practiced in different spheres of law.
He advised several companies and institutions. He also served as an additional Judge of the Appellate Court in Butwal and Patan from June 10, 2013 to December 12, 2015. During his career, he has participated in national and international conferences in Nepal and abroad. He was appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court and assumed charge on April 19, 2019.
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