Twenty district judges sent on deputation, 15 transferred after July reshuffle
A Supreme Court decision of 31 July deputed 20 district judges to other courts, and the Judicial Council transferred 15 more on 15 September.
Changes in the posting of Nepal’s district judges have continued after the large reshuffle in July. Under a Supreme Court decision of 31 July (15 Shrawan 2083 BS), 20 district judges were sent on deputation (kaj) to other district courts. The court’s published “Deputation notice of honourable district judges” lists each judge’s name, current court and the court of deputation.
The courts on the list include Morang, Rautahat, Saptari, Siraha, Sindhuli, Bhaktapur, Dang, Kathmandu, Surkhet and Sarlahi. Deputation means assigning a judge to work at another court for a set period without moving their permanent post.
Fifteen transfers on 15 September
On 15 September (30 Bhadau), the Judicial Council, the constitutional body that recommends, transfers and disciplines judges, transferred 15 district judges, Kantipur reported. The same meeting transferred three high court judges and sent four on deputation, and appointed Supreme Court bench officer Bharat Kumar Dahal as a district judge, posting him to Kailali. The names of the judges transferred could not be found in public sources.
On 16 July (32 Asar), the Council had transferred 50 high court judges and 157 district judges. Deputations and further transfers appear to be used to cover courts that are short of judges.
Review of judge numbers
According to the Chief Justice’s first four-monthly report, a study committee was formed to look at the ratio of caseload to judges. It submitted a report on posts in the high and district courts, based on case records, to the Chief Justice, who also chairs the Judicial Council, on 16 September (31 Bhadau). Its recommendations are under consideration.
For litigants
Deputations and transfers can change the bench hearing a listed case. Parties and lawyers should check the daily cause list in the case management system or ask the court concerned about the new bench.
Sources
Names in the deputation notice were read from the court’s PDF. Some were not clearly legible, so judges are not named in this article.
Primary sources
- Deputation notice of district judges under the decision of 15 Shrawan 2083 — Supreme Court of Nepal
- Basic administrative work in the first four months of the Chief Justice’s tenure (22 Jestha–4 Asoj 2083) — Supreme Court of Nepal, 5 Asoj 2083
Other reporting
- Three including Supreme Court registrar Pokharel appointed high court judges (in Nepali) — Kantipur, 15 Sep 2026
