Submit your Article

The four former Chief Justices, who were named by suspended CJ Cholendra SJB Rana, have decided not to appear before the meeting of the Impeachment Recommendation Committee (IRC), citing that it would be against the professional integrity and the concept of independent judiciary. The Committee on Wednesday had decided, and sent a letter to former CJs—Min Bahadur Rayamajhi, Anup Raj Sharma, Kalyan Shrestha and Sushila Karki—and other sitting Supreme Court justices asking them to appear before the meeting to record their statements for investigations based on the statements given by Rana. "We sat down together and decided not to appear before the meeting. We already provided needful suggestions. We have decided that it would be against professional integrity and the concept of independent judiciary. We have provided our decision to the Committee," said Rayamajhi talking to Rastriya Samachar Samiti. The full court meeting on Thursday sent a letter to the Committee, saying that sitting justices could not be present before the Committee meeting. As a result, the Committee meeting that was scheduled for 8:30 am today was rescheduled for 1 pm today itself.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made it clear that there are slim chances Nepal will make a decision on the Agnipath scheme. Speaking at a regular press conference organized in Singh Durbar on Thursday, Sewa Lamsal, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that there is less possibility that Nepal will take immediate decision on the Agnipath scheme. Saying that the issue needs national consensus, she ruled out the possibility of taking immediate decision on the issue. She further said that the government is fully busy in preparing for the elections. “The decision of the Nepal government is that the next government will take the decision on the issue,” Lamsal said. Earlier on Wednesday, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said that India may be forced to withdraw vacancies for enlisting soldiers from Nepal under its new Agnipath scheme in the ongoing recruitment cycle if the landlocked country does not take a decision on time, The Times of India reported.  

Wrapping up his four-day visit to Nepal, Li Zhanshu, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, returned home on Thursday. Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota bade farewell to the Chinese Speaker at 8: 50 am at the Tribhuvan International Airport. During this visit to Nepal, he paid courtesy calls on President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. Similarly, he called on Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka, National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Timilsina and his Nepali counterpart Agni Prasad Sapkota. Likewise, he also held separate meetings with CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. On Wednesday, he visited Bhaktapur Durbar Square. During the visit, he inquired about the pictures reflecting the art and culture of the world heritage site.

India may be forced to withdraw vacancies for enlisting soldiers from Nepal under its new Agnipath scheme in the ongoing recruitment cycle if the landlocked country does not take a decision in time, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said on Wednesday, The Times of India reported. Such a move by India, if it comes to that, could have adverse implications for the already delicately poised relationship with Nepal, where China has systematically made huge strategic inroads over the years. Nepal has put on hold recruitments under the Agnipath scheme, for which rallies were to commence there on August 25, in protest against the induction of soldiers for only four years without pension and ex-servicemen benefits. Replying to a question at a session in the United Service Institution of India, Gen Pande said the vacancies allocated to Nepalese Gorkhas will have to be “redistributed” to others for the time being if Kathmandu does not allow recruitment rallies as per the laid-down cutoffs dates. The Army is going to induct a total of 40,000 Agniveers in two batches after recruitment rallies and selection process around the country, and in Nepal, with the training of around 25,000 to begin in December and 15,000 in February. Even before the Agnipath scheme was announced in mid-June, the annual intake of Nepalese Gorkhas in the Indian Army had gradually come down to around 1,500 from the earlier over 4, 000 per year. The number under the Agnipath scheme is bound to be lower, according to The Times of India. As per my sense," Gen Pande said, Nepal “is unlikely to take any decision before the general elections in the country on November 20”, given that certain quarters were opposed to the Indian Army recruiting Nepalese youth. “It’s a decision for them (Nepal) to take,” the Army chief said, adding, that India had explained the “benefits” for the 75% of the young soldiers to be demolished after four years with the Seva Nidhi exit package of Rs 11.7 lakh each.