A meeting of the Constitutional Council took place at Singha Durbar on Wednesday to discuss the issue of recommending a candidate for the post of Chief Justice that has been lying vacant for the past 14 months. The council meeting, however, ended without making any headway.

Along with the Prime Minister, House of Representatives Speaker Devraj Ghimire, leader of the main opposition party KP Sharma Oli, Chairman of the National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timilsina and Deputy Speaker Indira Rana participated in today’s meeting.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka also attended the meeting as the Law Minister.

National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, speaking to media persons after the meeting, said that the appointment of the Chief Justice was discussed in the meeting but no decision was made. He said that the next meeting of the council will decide on the appointment of the Chief Justice.

On Tuesday evening, President Ramchandra Paudel allocated the portfolio of the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to Khadka.

There is a legal provision that requires the Law Minister to be called as a member of the Constitutional Council to recommend the Chief Justice.

The six-member Constitutional Council, which is headed by the prime minister, includes the leader of the main opposition, the chief justice, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the chair of the National Assembly, as members.

At a time when the Supreme Court has been under the leadership of an acting Chief Justice for a long time, top leaders along with PM Dahal had held a discussion on Monday regarding the appointment of the Chief Justice.

On Monday, three top leaders—Prime Minister and Maoist Centre chair Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, and leader of the main opposition UML Oli—met and agreed to call a meeting of the Constitutional Council to proceed with the appointment of a new chief justice.

Following the agreement, PM Dahal had called the meeting of the Constitutional Council for Friday at 9am.

The government has already registered a bill to amend the Constitutional Council Act in Parliament, seeking changes in the existing provision regarding the quorum of the meeting.

The chief justice’s position has been lying vacant for the past 14 months after the previous ruling coalition lawmakers registered an impeachment motion against the then chief justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana on February 13 last year. Rana retired on December 13 without the Parliament deciding on the motion.

The candidate for chief justice is nominated by the Constitutional Council and endorsed by the Parliamentary Hearings Committee before being appointed by the President. The House of Representatives has yet to form all the panels, including the hearings committee.

The major parties, especially the Congress and the UML, are locking horns for an equal number of members in the 15-member joint hearing committee, which conducts hearings on constitutional and ambassadorial appointments.