Nepal’s ‘Gez Z’ protesters on Wednesday reportedly backed former chief justice Sushila Karki for the post of the interim prime minister of the country.
Karki’s name came up after the protesters consulted the secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association, who confirmed the decision to Reuters.
The protests in Nepal, which broke out on Monday over a ban on social media platforms, turned violent after clashes broke out between protesters and security forces. While the ban was lifted and K P Sharma Oli resigned as the prime minister, protesters torched government buildings and residences of lawmakers and ministers.
Nepal’s home minister Ramesh Lekhak also resigned following the protests, while President Ram Chandra Paudel and Army Chief Ashok Raj Sigdel urged protesters to come forward for dialogue.
The Army took control of the security in the country, following which the protesters held discussions to choose their representatives, who would talk to stakeholders for the formation of the interim government.
Who is Sushila Karki?
Karki’s name came up in a virtual meeting which lasted around four hours, with the former chief justice garnering more votes than Kathmandu mayor Balen Shah, who was also being touted as a contender for the position, India TV reported.
The first female to hold the post of chief justice of Nepal, Sushila Karki was born on June 7, 1952, in Morang district’s Biratnagar.
Karki completed her graduation from the Mahendra Morang College in Biratnagar, and holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Karki later went on to pursue law from Nepal’s Tribhuvan University.
She began her legal career in the late 1970s, and was appointed as Justice in the Nepal Supreme Court in 2009, according to ABP News.
She was the chief justice of Nepal from July, 2016 to June, 2017, following which an impeachment motion was brought against her by political parties, who accused her of interfering with the executive decisions. While she was suspended after the motion was brought, it was withdrawn following the court’s intervention, thus leading to her being reinstated.
During her term as the chief justice, she delivered verdicts on important matters, including high-profile corruption cases, irregularities in police appointments and establishment of fast-track courts.
Karki, in one of the landmark rulings in Nepal, also enabled women to pass citizenship rights to their children.
