Laws are Instruments of Democracy: Russian CJ

Kathmandu, March 16: The visiting Russian Chief Justice V M Lebedev on Wednesday urged Supreme Court justices to use laws as instruments of democracy."He said international laws should get due importance in the national context as the world has became a global village," SC officiating registrar Dr Ram Krishna Timalsena said following a meeting of Lebedev with the justices of the Supreme Court.

Lebedev held talks with Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Paudel and justices Kedar Prasad Giri and Min Bahadur Rayamajhi. Later, he held a collective meeting with all the justices of the Supreme Court where he delivered a lecture on the use the laws for democratic process. The second meet was open to government media but the private media was kept out of it.

Earlier today, His Majesty King Gyanendra gave an audience to visiting Chief Justice of the Russian Federation, V.M. Lebedev, in Pokhara on Wednesday.

The King gave audience to Lebedev at Ratna Mandir, Pokhara, where he, along with Queen Komal, has been staying for the last couple of weeks as part of his informal visit to the Western Region.

Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Paudel was also present during the royal audience, reports said.

Lebedev arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday on a four-day friendly tour. He is the first Chief Justice of any European nation to visit Nepal, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After his return from Pokhara, Lebedev paid a study visit to the Supreme Court.

Timalsena quoted the Russian Chief Justice as saying that Russia gives priority to implement international laws if they ever contradicted with the domestic laws.

In his meeting with Lebedev, CJ poudel is learnt to have told the visiting official that the Supreme Court has played a vital role in protecting the rights of the citizens.

Lebedev said his visit to Nepal has set a new trend in the judicial relations between Russia and Nepal. "Russian judiciary has got a new experience and we will invite Nepal's Chief Justice to Russia to share our legal practice," Timalsena quoted Lebedev as saying.