Former chief justice Sushila Karki has been chosen to lead Nepal’s interim government on Friday, as Gen Z-led protests and unrest in Kathmandu resulted in multiple deaths and hundreds injured.According to Nepal local media outlet Khabarhub, the appointment was finalised in a virtual meeting that lasted nearly four hours. Parliament has also been dissolved, and Karki is expected to take oath shortly.The protests, initially sparked by a controversial social media ban, escalated into a broader rejection of corruption, nepotism and entrenched political elites. Soldiers remain deployed across Kathmandu after demonstrators torched government buildings, politicians’ residences and the parliament.
Who is Sushila Karki?
Sushila Karki made history in July 2016 when she became Nepal’s first female chief justice. Her tenure, however, ended less than a year later after lawmakers filed an impeachment motion accusing her of “delivering biased verdicts” and interfering in executive jurisdiction. The move followed a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the government’s decision on police chief appointments, saying seniority had been unfairly bypassed. Although automatically suspended while the probe was pending, the impeachment failed to secure the two-thirds majority required before her retirement in June 2017.Born on June 7, 1952, in Biratnagar, Karki studied political science at Banaras Hindu University in 1975 and law at Tribhuvan University in 1978. Before becoming chief justice, she served as a Supreme Court justice, senior advocate and law professor. She is also an author on gender equality and has long been involved in human rights and women’s judicial organisations.Karki has been recognised with awards including the Sambhav Kanoon Puraskar (2004).Earlier, Kathmandu’s mayor Balendra Shah, popularly known as “Balen,” had also emerged as a potential choice for interim leadership. The 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician studied structural engineering in India and is known for his anti-corruption stance.
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