Nepal lawmakers consider impeaching chief justice News
Nepal lawmakers consider impeaching chief justice

[JURIST] Nepal's parliamentarians have said they may impeach Nepal's Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Poudel, accusing him of failing to maintaining independence of the judiciary during the 15-month long autocratic rule of King Gyanendra [official profile; BBC profile], who gave up control of the government after pro-democracy protests [JURIST news archive] last month. The "Chief Justice should either resign or face impeachment," leftist MP Ishwar Pokharel said in the parliament. Speaking in a similar vein, other parliamentarians also demanded an immediate resignation of the chief justice and two other judges who are considered close to Nepal's 58-year-old monarch, warning the judges of impeachment if they ignore their call to resign.

Poudel has been the subject of controversy for his role in deciding a number of constitutional cases relating to people's fundamental rights during the King's direct rule from February 2005 to April 2006 and Nepal's lawmakers have alleged that Poudel "fail[ed] to protect people's fundamental rights during the king's autocratic rule." For instance, the parliamentarians said the chief justice deferred hearings on the controversial Royal Commission for Corruption Control [JURIST report], an anti-graft body formed by King Gyanendra to contain his opponents, as many as 13 times. Similarly, the chief justice, in a controversial order last November, upheld a law [JURIST report] banning Nepal's independent radios from broadcasting news programming

Appointed by the King through a decree, the chief justice was criticized by Nepal Bar Association [group website] early this year for appointing royalist judges to Nepal's courts. The relationship between the chief justice and lawyers has become cold since then. Nepal's lawyers have called for his resignation, but the chief justice has so far rejected their demands.

Kiran Chapagain is a special correspondent for JURIST writing from Nepal. He is an Assistant Senior Reporter for the Kathmandu Post.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Justice Department brings anit-trust action against AT&T

On November 20, 1974, the Department of Justice filed its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. United States v. AT&T was ultimately settled out of court with an agreement that the corporation would break up its monopoly on phone service throughout the country.

Nuremberg war crimes trials began

On November 20, 1945, the war crimes trials of Nazi World War II leaders began in the German city of Nuremberg. Review the Nuremberg Tribunal's Charter and the verdicts and sentences handed down on major war figures.

Winston Churchill born

On November 20, 1874, Sir Winston Churchill was born in Woodstock, England. He would go on to lead the United Kingdom as Prime Minister through World War II. Toward the end of the war, Churchill worked with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to craft the treaties and accords that have defined the world since WWII. A 2002 poll by the BBC declared Churchill the Greatest Briton of all time.

New Jersey ratifies Bill of Rights

New Jersey ratified the Bill of Rights, a set of 10 fundamental amendments to the US Constitution, on November 20, 1789, becoming the first state to do so. The state also ratified an amendment on federal representation which ultimately failed. Additionally, New Jersey rejected an amendment on congressional salaries, which would eventually become the 27th Amendment more than 200 years later. Read the articles ratified by New Jersey.