KATHMANDU, May 20: President Ram Chandra PAudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to newly appointed Chief Justice Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma at a special ceremony held at the Presidential Residence, Shital Niwas, on Tuesday evening, formally ushering in a new leadership phase in Nepal’s judiciary amid debates over his appointment and expectations of sweeping reforms.
Earlier in the day, the Parliamentary Hearing Committee unanimously endorsed Sharma’s nomination, which had been recommended by the Constitutional Council on May 7. Soon after the endorsement, the President formally appointed him as the 33rd Chief Justice of Nepal.
Sharma, who has been serving as a Supreme Court justice since April 2019, will lead the judiciary for the next six years.
His appointment follows a controversial recommendation by the Constitutional Council, which nominated him despite his fourth position in the Supreme Court’s seniority order—marking a departure from the long-established seniority-based convention. The decision had triggered debate within legal and political circles, with dissenting members of the Council raising concerns over the breach of precedent.
Constitutional Council nominates fourth-ranked justice as CJ, b...
The Council, chaired by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, defended the decision, citing Sharma’s independence and professional background. However, critics, including former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, warned that bypassing seniority could undermine institutional trust and weaken established norms of judicial succession.
Before his appointment, Sharma had outlined an ambitious reform agenda aimed at overhauling Nepal’s judicial system. Presenting his concept paper to the Parliamentary Hearings Committee, he pledged to reduce case backlogs and ensure that cases are resolved within a maximum of 18 months—an important target in a system where cases often remain pending for years.
His roadmap emphasizes transforming the judiciary into a faster, more transparent, and technology-driven institution. Key proposals include scientific case management based on workload and complexity, expansion of digital and electronic court systems, and the use of artificial intelligence for document management, data analysis, and administrative functions.
Sharma also proposed live streaming of important court hearings, particularly those of public interest, arguing that greater transparency would help build public trust in the judiciary. He stressed that delivering verdicts alone is insufficient, and that fairness, dignity, and accessibility must define the entire judicial process.
The reform plan further calls for merit-based and transparent judicial appointments, timely filling of vacancies, and strengthening of the constitutional bench. It also envisions reviewing court jurisdiction, restructuring specialized courts and tribunals, and forming a high-level committee to recommend improvements in case flow management and judicial administration.
Highlighting the scale of challenges, Sharma noted that pending cases in Nepali courts have surged significantly over the past two decades, with a substantial number of cases remaining unresolved for over five years at the Supreme Court alone.
Born on June 18, 1970, in Birgunj, Parsa, Sharma holds an LLB from Nepal Law Campus, an LLM from Pune University, and a PhD in Labour Law from Tribhuvan University. Prior to his elevation to the Supreme Court, he served as an additional judge at the High Court and worked as a legal advisor.
Observers say his tenure will be closely watched, particularly as it coincides with the retirement of several Supreme Court justices, potentially reshaping the court’s composition in the coming years.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by the Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chairperson of the National Assembly, cabinet ministers, heads of constitutional bodies, and senior government officials.
