Miscarriage of (chief) justice

Justices eyeing plum positions during or after active service risk eroding the independence of the judiciary.

The leadership of the Supreme Court has been relegated to a caretaker status ever since the ignominious ejection of Cholendra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana on February 13, 2022. In the 15 months since, two senior judges have impersonated the Chief Justice, not only by assuming the acting role in the courtroom but outside as well, including in the swearing-in ceremony of the third President Ramchandra Paudel. While the "acting" perhaps warrants some compliment for blending well into the character of the Chief Justice, the plight the judiciary is subjected to is unwarranted.