The government has decided to revive the former Chief Justice Om Prakash Mishra-led committee for recommending officials to the two transitional justice commissions.

A Cabinet meeting held on Monday evening decided to that end, according to Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, who is also the government’s spokesperson.

Earlier in October last year, the KP Sharma Oli government had formed a search committee headed by Mishra to recommend candidates for the two transitional justice commissions—Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons.

The committee, however, failed to recommend the name of the office bearers, throwing the entire TRC process in limbo.

Earlier in the afternoon, top leaders had met to discuss the issue before the Cabinet meeting.

During a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu on Monday, the leaders decided to fast-track the remaining tasks of the peace process.

Leaders from the CPN-UML, Nepali Congress and Maoist Centre agreed to form the search committee that would be responsible for selecting officials for the commissions, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak said after the meeting.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had called a meeting with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday and the three leaders discussed the latest status of Nepal’s protracted transitional justice process, among others. The government will appoint members for both the commissions soon, said Lekhak.

Oli, Dahal, Deuba, Lekhak, Moaist leaders Shakti Basnet and Khimlal Devkota, and Agni Kharel, Oli’s adviser for transitional justice process and human rights, were present in the meeting.

“The prime minister held consultations with the leaders of both parties to proceed with the formation of a search committee for the recommendation of the appointment of the chairperson and members of both commissions, in accordance with Subsection 3 of Section 3 of the Enforced Disappearance Inquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2071,” said Kharel. “The process of expanding the recommendation committee will move forward based on the consultations.”

“The discussion today was related to the formation of two commissions concerning transitional justice. There was also a discussion about the report prepared by the search committee that was formed to establish both commissions some time ago.”

The selection of the potential office bearers for the two transitional justice commissions by the Mishra-led committed had landed in controversy, with conflict victims and other stakeholders objecting to the shortlist of candidates for chairpersons.

Before October, in April too, the government had formed a five-member committee, also led by Mishra, to nominate the candidates for both the commissions but it could not do so after the National Human Rights Commission refused to send its representative in the search committee saying that it needs a time-bound commitment from the government to endorse a bill to amend the Enforced Disappearance Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act.

According to the two newly revised Acts related to the truth and reconciliation process, the recommendation committee shall be given two months to make nominations for the chairpersons and members of the two commissions.

The Truth Commission has received 63,718 complaints, while the commission on disappearances is sitting on around 2,400 cases. The new teams will have four years to accomplish their tasks, though there are provisions for their extension. The commissions that were formed in 2015 have done nothing other than collect complaints and conduct preliminary investigations on some of them.

Previously, the government passed a bill related to transitional justice, which was ratified by the President on August 29. The House of Representatives passed the bill on August 14, followed by its approval by the National Assembly on August 22. The two commissions have been paralysed since July 2022 after the government decided to extend their terms without retaining their chairmen and members.