Kathmandu, June 10: The Supreme Court has issued an appeal urging all concerned not to disseminate statements by some responsible people in the leadership rung of the political parties over those issues or applications on which the Supreme Court has not been able to hold hearings, saying such statements were misleading, untrue and against the norms of the independence of the judiciary.

A press release issued today by Joint Spokesperson of the Supreme Court Bishwa Raj Poudel states that the statements made by some responsible persons in the leadership of political party have drawn the Supreme Court’s serious attention.

The press release also urges the responsible persons not to make such statements.

It has appealed to the political leadership to extend constructive support towards materializing the concept of the rule of law by maintaining effectiveness in the judicial management for building an independent, fair and efficient judiciary as envisaged by the constitution of Nepal.

“Making public statements against the established judicial principles and values at this important juncture of institutionalising the democratic norms and values would not be in anyone’s interest,” the press release reads.

Stating that the hearing of a case is determined based on the priority of facts of the dispute and its nature is purely a subject of management of the judiciary, the Supreme Court Joint Spokesperson said that the judiciary is consistently working towards making the judicial management simplified, prompt and transparent.

“Although the Constitution of Nepal provides for 21 Justices including the Chief Justice in the Supreme Court, there are only nine Justices at present. Cases could not be finalized promptly also due to the shortage of Justices. Twenty-two thousand cases are under consideration in the Supreme Court even now,” it is stated in the press release.

The press release also mentions that although the Judicial Council recommended the names for appointment to the vacant posts of the Supreme Court justices more than three months back, the appointments have not been completed.

There is no other option in this situation than to do the hearing on the basis of necessity and priority, the press release further reads.

The Supreme Court has also appealed to all those concerned that it is the responsibility of all to make the Judiciary, one of the three main organs of the State, stronger and capable and that nobody should do anything that weakens it.

In another press release it issued today, the Supreme Court stated that its serious attention was also drawn to different news headlined ‘Familial Relations Between Chief Justice and Dixit’s Spouse’ and ‘ Kanak Mani Case Decision Lands into Controversy, Kanak Spouse Shanta and Sushila Relation Exposed’ that appeared in the media today. RSS