Two more contenders emerge for post of CJ

At a time when the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee is seeking public opinion on the proposed appointment of a justice as the Chief Justice (CJ), two more Supreme Court judges “claimed” today that they, too, are eligible for the top post.“Judges Sharada Prasad Pundit and Sharada Shrestha are also eligible for the top post,” said a source close to the two judges. According to the source, the two judges are furious with the media for not even mentioning their names as eligible candidates for the post of CJ. “They are also eligible for the post of CJ as they also have worked as the apex court judges for three years,” the source said.“The media have been maintaining that only five judges — Kedar Prasad Giri, Min Bahadur Rayamajhi, Anup Raj Sharma, Khil Raj Regmi and Ram Prasad Shrestha — are eligible for the top post. But judges Pundit and Shrestha are also eligible for the post,” the source said. The claim comes at a time when the parliamentary hearing committee has been seeking public opinion on the proposed appointment of Kedar Prasad Giri as the CJ.The Judicial Council (JC) had also sent personal details of the seven judges while urging the Constitutional Council to initiate the process to appoint the CJ. “Yes, we have sent the details of seven justices who are eligible for the top post,” secretary of the JC, Prakash Kumar Dhungana, said.A judge of the Supreme Court said they are also eligible for the top post, but they want newspaper reports to mention them as eligible candidates because they will retire soon.