Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Kedar Nath Upadhyaya retired from the top post in the judiciary Tuesday owing to age limit.
Provisions have it that the Chief Justice holds the office till the age of 65. He took the office 14 months ago.
Talking to the media after a function organized this afternoon to see him off, Upadhyaya made some significant comments on the know-how of the courts in delivering justice.
He was of the view that the judiciary is in need of deft hands. “There is a great need of competent officials in our courts. Few people are seen dealing with great many things which should not be the case anymore,” he explained.
In what can be termed a bold acceptance, the outgoing CJ said that the courts, too, Supreme Court included, were not free from corruption.
“In fact corruption is everywhere in the judiciaries across the world and we are no exception,” said he, urging that the Judicial Council itself should look into the corruption on the part of the judges.
In Upadhyaya’s view, judges who have amassed property that goes over 5 million in disproportion than their actual income should first be brought to book.
“We are not much concerned about minor disproportions but it turns grave when it exceeds 5 million rupees,” he further said.
On why the Supreme Court has shielded away from deciding the case on reinstatement of the parliament, Upadhyaya said that the issue was out and out political and it was not appropriate for the Supreme Court to decide such cases.
“When courts start giving verdicts on political issues, there begins the degradation in the justice system,” he further added.
His Majesty King, in accordance with the constitution of Nepal 1990 and on the recommendation of Constitutional Council, appointed Justice Govinda Bahadur Shrestha as the Chief Justice of Nepal. Shrestha was born in BS 1940 in Birgunj. nepalnews.com mk Jan 20 04