The King has, in accordance with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990 and on the recommendation of the Judicial Council, appointed the judges of different Appellate Courts to the post of the Chief Judge of the Appellate Courts, and also assigned other judges to their posts.
The King has appointed Judge at the Appellate Court, Butwal, Govinda Prasad Parajuli the Chief Judge at the Appellate Court, Hetauda; Judge at the Appellate Court, Butwal, Prem Prasad Sharma the Chief Judge at the Appellate Court, Janakpur; and Judge at the Appellate Court, Patan, Rana Bahadur Bom Chief Judge at the same Court.
The King has appointed and also posted Judge at the Appellate Court, Mahendra Nagar, Yam Narayan Dhital to the post of Chief Judge of the same Court; Judge at the Appellate Court, Janakpur, Mohan Prakash Sitaula to the post of the Chief Judge of the Appellate Court, Butwal; and Judge at the Appellate Court, Hetauda, Abadhesh Kumar Yadav to the post of the Chief Judge at the Appellate Court, Tulsipur.
Similarly, the King has appointed and posted Judge at the Appellate Court, Patan, Girish Chandra Lal to the post of the Chief Judge at the Appellate Court, Dipayal; Judge at the Appellate Court, Patan, Baidhya Nath Upadhyaya to the post of Chief Judge at the Appellate Court, Rajbiraj; Judge at the Appellate Court, Rajbiraj, Tarka Raj Bhatta to the post of Chief Judge at the Appellate Court, Jumla; and Judge at the Appellate Court, Surkhet, Ramji Prasad Tripathi to the post of the Chief Judge of the same Court.
Meanwhile, some Chief Judges of the Appellate Courts were also transferred to different Appellate Courts.
Accordingly, Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Rajbiraj, Damodar Prasad Sharma, who was appointed to the post of temporary Justice of the Supreme Court, has been posted as the Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Ilam; Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Nepalgunj, Ram Kumar Prasad Shah who was appointed to the post of temporary Justice of the Supreme Court, has been posted as the Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Dhankuta and Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Jumla, Kalyan Shrestha, who was also appointed temporary Justice of the Supreme Court has been posted as the Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Pokhara.
Likewise, Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Hetauda, Krishna Prasad Upadhyaya has been transferred to the post of Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Nepalgunj and the Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Janakpur, Dipendra Upadhyaya the Chief Judge of Appellate Court, Baglung.
The appointment and transfers comes at a time when the Nepal Bar Association is protesting against the recent appointment of ad-hoc justices of the Supreme Court.
Two Maoists were killed when security forces retaliated after coming under fire from a group of terrorists on 30 December 2005, the Directorate of Public Relations (DPR) of Royal Nepalese Army said.
The clashes between the security forces and the terrorists took place in Mehaltoli in Dailekh district resulting in the death of district in-charge Chabilal Shahi alias ‘Ranjit’ and district committee member Nabin Thapa.
Meanwhile, a Maoist, Iswor Chandra Wagle of LadhiKhola area in Tanahu district surrendered to the local district administration on 2 January 2006, pledging to completely disassociate himself from the terrorist outfit, the DPR said.
From left, Nishma Timilsina, 20, Utshav Basnet, 19, and Bedija Kharel, 20
From left, Nishma Timilsina, 20, Utshav Basnet, 19, and Bedija Kharel, 20
(photo source : startribune.com)
Three Nepali students were killed when their car was hit by another vehicle on a southern Minnesota highway of the United States on Monday, reports said.
Those killed in the accident were identified as 19 year old Utshav Basnet and 20 year olds Nishma Timilsina and Bedija Kharel.
StarTribune.com quoted the State Patrol as saying that the three were not wearing seat belts, and their car was hit when the driver tried to make a U-turn from the right shoulder of a two-lane highway.
All students were enrolled in classes at Southwest Minnesota State. The students were off school on winter break, the report added.
Of the 225 foreign students enrolled at Southwest Minnesota State, 95 are from Nepal.
“As news of the accident spread, many of the students from Nepal gathered at the office of Sandy Nelson, the school’s international student services coordinator to make plans to raise money for the victims’ families to help them take their loved ones home,” the report added.
Three other people injured in the accident, Rachel Thompson, Jeremy Dorpinghais and Leroy Sydness are undergoing treatment.
The Department of Health Services (DHS) has presented an alarming picture that more than 50 percent children in the country are malnourished and underweight.
The DHS also said that 64 infants below the age of one die in 1000 life births.
The Ministry of Health and Population has been organizing different awareness programmes across the country with the aim to reduce the child mortality and improve the situation of malnutrition.
The ministry organised a weeklong nutrition campaign in all the 75 districts last week to enlighten the people about the benefits of healthy nutrition, which was important for the mental and physical development of children, reports state run The Rising Nepal.
The campaign also aims at creating awareness among the local people and community about the time schedule of feeding children and other necessary added nutrition.
Saradha Pandey, chief at the Nutrition Section said that the campaign provided knowledge to the local people about the techniques of making nutritious food.
Pandey said that the department had also distributed Rs 12,000 for each district for the nutrition programmes. She said that the programme would take place every year.
State Minister for Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yankila Sherpa (second form right) in the inaugural session of a workshop related to the air safety in Kathmandu, Wednesday, Jan 04 06. nepalnews.com/rh
Aviation safety experts proudly announced today that the year 2005 created a new history in the field of civil aviation with no aviation casualties for the year from January 4, 2005 to January 4, 2006.
Addressing a workshop related to air safety in Kathmandu today, state minister for Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yankila Sherpa said, “Thanks and congratulations to all for their important efforts to make air travel safe in this country.”
She further said this fact would remove the impact of negative propaganda about Nepal in other parts of the world, which has hampered the tourism sector in the country.
Experts also shared the views that the proper maintenance of aircraft, strictly adhering to the rules and regulations, well equipped and maintained airport facilities, as well as the timely and reliable information on the weather are the major factors that reduce accident rates.
The high mountains, difficult terrain and bad weather are the major causes which effects flight safety and Nepal has borne bitter experiences of air crashes in the past years.
Studies and data have proved that air transportation is safest mode of transportation in the world. Statistics show that in 2003, there were over 1.2 billion people who flew on over 1.9 millions flights worldwide, but there was only 8 fatal accidents in the year.
In the previous year in Nepal, 1.6 million passengers traveled by air inside the country.
District Administration of Kailali in the far-western region has released Nagendra Upadhyay, editor of `New Malika’ weekly—a Nepali language newspaper– after detaining him for nearly six months under the controversial anti-terrorist legislation.
Upadhyay was detained in July last year on charge of helping a Maoist activist to undergo treatment at a local hospital. The District Administration Office of Kailali then ordered to detain him under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment) ordinance for a period of six months.
A meeting of the district level security committee on Tuesday, however, decided to free Upadhyay, according to sources.
23-year-old Upadhyay was freed today in the presence of office-bearers of Kailali district unit of the Federation of Nepalese Jouranlists (FNJ) on Wednesday.
Talking to Nepalnews over phone from Dhangadhi after his release this evening, Upadhyay said he was happy to be free at last. He said he was subject to physical abuse and mental torture while in custody in the first week of his detention. He was later booked under TADO and sent to district prison of Kailali.
“I will continue to work as a journalist and will join the on-going fight for press freedom and freedom of expression,” he said. Upadhyay said he has been asked to report to the District Administration Office of Kailali in every 15 days.
According to FNJ, one more journalist is still behind bars in the country. Tej Narayan Sapkota, affiliated with Mahima weekly published from Kathmandu, is being detained at Nakkhu prison in Lalitpur under TADO.
There are reports of clashes between security forces and Maoist rebels at Mauriya in the far-western district of Dadeldhura on Wednesday.
In a statement issued today, Far-Western regional headquarters of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) said security personnel and rebels clashed for about two hours Wednesday afternoon at Mauriya ilaka in the district.
The statement said clashes took place after a team of security personnel reached the area upon knowing that the rebels were forcibly collecting food and ‘donations’ from local people. The security personnel took a Maoist sentry into custody and engaged the rebels.
According to RNA, soldiers pursued the rebels for a distance of nearly three kilometers but gave up their operation after the rebels allegedly used students and locals in the premises of a local school as “human shields.”
The security team recovered arms, ammunition and logistics used by the rebels, the statement said.
There has been no word from the side of Maoists as yet regarding the incident. The latest clash took place just two days after the Maoists rebels called off their four-month-long unilateral ceasefire.
Major opposition parties in Kathmandu have blamed the government of provoking the rebels to return to violence.
Interior Minister Kamal Thapa, however, dismissed such allegations and claimed that the Maoist ceasefire was only a “strategic ploy.” He further said that the government was capable to maintain law and order in the country.
Chief Justice (CJ) Dilip Kumar Poudel
Chief Justice (CJ) Dilip Kumar Poudel (File Photo)
Nepal Bar Association (NBA) has expressed serious dissatisfaction over the recent appointment of the four ad-hoc justices at the Supreme Court and demanded resignation of Chief Justice (CJ) Dilip Kumar Poudel and one of the appointees Pawan Kumar Ojha.
A statement issued by the NBA on Monday after the central committee meeting said, “Since the honourable CJ has been unable to protect the rights of the Nepali people under the constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990, it is our conclusion that both (Poudel and Ojha) should no longer remain in their posts.”
Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Poudel, with the consent of King Gyanendra, appointed Ojha, Tahir Ali Ansari, Rajendra Prasad Koirala and Bipulendra Chakravarti as Justices of the SC.
Justice Pawan Kumar Ojha
Justice Pawan Kumar Ojha (File Photo)
The NBA has also decided to exclude CJ Poudel and Justice Ojha from all its functions henceforth.
Ojha has been controversial after he said that all the orders issued by the king are constitutional, since he is a devotee of Hindu religion and the constitution has given him special responsibility, while pleading on behalf the government in the controversial Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC).
Ojha also said that the apex court in Pakistan had passed a verdict in favor of President Pervez Musharraf in the latter’s bid to amend the constitution and asked the Supreme Court to pass a similar verdict in a case of RCCC.
NBA has also sought clarification on why two senior most judges of the Appellate Courts Krishna Prasad Upadhaya and Dipendra Upadhaya were not appointed justices at the Supreme Court.
NBA has also warned to protest against the non-transparent appointments based on ‘secret nexus’ in the future as well. The NBA also asked all its units to enforce its decision and called for a nationwide protest meeting on Friday.
Meanwhile, after taking the oath of office and secrecy following his appointment as an ad hoc justice of the Supreme Court, former Attorney General Ojha said that he will work under the 1990 Constitution.
Soon after taking the oath of office and secrecy from CJ Poudel, Ojha said criticising him based on his previous duty as the Attorney General would be of no relevance as he is now an ad hoc justice of the Supreme Court.
“Now my position has been changed and be assured that I will work under the Constitution,” he told journalists.
When asked how he will assure the NBA, which is opposing his appointment, Ojha said, “My previous duty was to defend the government but now I will work as a justice of the Supreme Court to provide justice to the people,” he said, adding, “Be watchful, whatever I do in the future,” he added.
Nepathya, the folk-rock band of Nepal, is now starting a journey for social consciousness and dedication after the success of ‘Traveling Peace Concert’ in Nepal during October and a brief tour to Europe in November.
A press statement issued by the band said that this time they are set to reach the masses that would otherwise be left out from attending concert shows – due to various reasons like physical, mental, social and others.
“The first of this series kicked off on December 23 amidst 500 children, girls and women from Maiti Nepal’s Child protection and Rehabilitation Home,” the statement said.
The statement further said that the second in the series will be organised for the Street Children of Kathmandu at the CPCS (Child Protection Centres and Services) premises in Dillibazar on the 4th of January.
According to organizers, more than 700 children are expected to participate in the concert.
The CPN (Maoist) has owned up responsibility for simultaneous explosions in a number of districts on Monday hours after it announced withdrawal of four-month-long unilateral ceasefire on Monday.
Janadesh weekly, believed to be the mouthpiece of the CPN (Maoist) party, in its online edition on Tuesday reported that rebels caused explosions at four various places in western town of Pokhara Monday evening.
The weekly said rebels also caused explosions at the District Education Office in Rupandehi and ward no. 5 office of Butwal municipality in Butwal. Rebels also caused explosions at Panauti in Kavre as soon as they heard of breaking off of ceasefire, the news report said.
Nobody was injured in these explosions.
The weekly said, there were unconfirmed reports of clashes between the security forces and rebels at Kamal Bazar in far-western district of Achham.
Meanwhile, security sources have refused to attach importance to latest explosions. Describing them as part of Maoist propaganda, officials said security had been tightened across the country in view of possible Maoist offensive.
In his statement, Maoist chairman, Prachanda, blamed Royal Nepalese Army operations in their stronghold in Rolpa for “forcing them to call off ceasefire.”
Janadesh weekly, however, said the Maoists would declare ceasefire once again if the process of making Nepali people sovereign was ensured.