Chief concerns

The manner in which the Chief Justice impeachment affair unfolded has been disheartening.

The ongoing drama surrounding the impeachment of suspended Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana is perhaps the perfect illustration of all the wrongs that bedevil modern-day Nepali polity. In his capacity as chief justice, Rana made a mockery of the rule of law he was meant to protect by, for instance, asking for his share in cabinet appointments and reducing the sentences of hardened criminals. Frankly, he deserved to be impeached. Yet the manner in which the affair has unfolded has been disheartening. First, the ruling and opposition parties were again bitterly divided on the impeachment motion, even in a clear-cut case of judicial excess.