Parliamentary hearing committee unanimously approves four Supreme Court nominees

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee of Nepal’s Federal Parliament has unanimously approved all four nominees for appointment as Supreme Court justices. The committee took the decision on Saturday, 7 November 2026 (21 Kartik 2083 BS).

The approved nominees are Dr Ratna Bahadur Bagchand, Chief Judge of the Pokhara High Court; Chandra Bahadur Saru, a judge of the Patan High Court; Janak Pandey, a judge at the Hetauda bench of the Patan High Court; and Gokarna Dangi, a judge at the Birgunj bench of the Janakpur High Court. The Judicial Council, the constitutional body that recommends and disciplines judges, recommended them on 6 October (20 Asoj).

How the hearing went

According to committee chair Bodh Narayan Shrestha, 13 complaints were filed against the nominees. The Kathmandu Post reports that the hearing process began on 5 November (19 Kartik). According to Kanun Khabar, the nominees were heard on Friday and Saturday after the committee discussed the complaints, and approval came only after the issues they raised had been discussed. The complaints were allegations only; the committee has not said any of them was substantiated.

In the action plan he presented at the hearing, nominee Pandey said 26,697 cases were pending before the Supreme Court, of which 9,949 were more than two years old and 1,255 more than five years old. He proposed to control unnecessary adjournments and argued that justice should be measured not only by the number of cases disposed of but by quality and fairness.

Disputes over the recommendation

The Judicial Council’s 6 October recommendation was not unanimous. Two Council members recorded dissenting opinions, and the Nepal Bar Association raised questions about transparency. The Council filled only four of the five available vacancies.

What the Constitution says

Under Article 129(2) of the Constitution, the President appoints Supreme Court justices on the recommendation of the Judicial Council. Article 292 requires a parliamentary hearing before appointment, by a joint committee of members of both houses of the Federal Parliament. With the committee’s approval, appointment by the President and the oath of office remain.

What happens next

Dates for the appointments and swearing-in have not been announced. Even after the four are appointed, one seat on the Supreme Court will remain vacant. According to The Kathmandu Post, Justice Binod Sharma is due to retire in November, which will open another vacancy. Because three of the four nominees come from the High Courts, vacancies will also need to be filled there.

Sources

This report is based on the media reports listed below. It will be updated when official documents from the bodies concerned are made public.

Primary sources

• Constitution of Nepal (Nepali, official text) — Nepal Law Commission

Other reporting

• Parliamentary committee unanimously approves four nominees for Supreme Court — The Kathmandu Post, 7 Nov 2026
• Parliamentary hearing committee unanimously approves all four Supreme Court nominees (Nepali) — Kanun Khabar, 21 Kartik 2083 BS (7 Nov 2026)
• Over 26,000 cases pending: nominee Pandey presents reform plan (Nepali) — Kanun Khabar, 21 Kartik 2083 BS (7 Nov 2026)
• Four judges recommended for Nepal’s Supreme Court — The Kathmandu Post, 6 Oct 2026
• Career judges lose ground as lawyers gain sway in Nepal’s judiciary — The Kathmandu Post, 26 Oct 2026