Contempt of conscience

Let freedom of speech and divergent views flourish.

On Monday, four former chief justices visited the Supreme Court, which they headed at different times, to assert that their opinion on the House dissolution was part of freedom of expression and did not amount to contempt of court. Min Bahadur Rayamajhi, Anup Raj Sharma, Kalyan Shrestha and Sushila Karki had been summoned by the apex court to respond to a petition which said the joint statement they released was an attempt to influence the bench hearing cases against the House dissolution. By appearing before the court in response, they have shown their respect for and faith in the judiciary. For starters, the former chief justices had on January 8 released a joint statement saying the constitution did not allow the prime minister to dissolve the House of Representatives.