Om Prakash Aryal, a constitutional lawyer whose career has been defined by high-profile public interest cases and human rights advocacy, has been appointed Minister for Home Affairs; Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s Cabinet.

Born in Gulmi, Aryal has long been associated with causes that touch ordinary citizens—whether campaigning alongside Dr Govinda KC for reforms in the medical sector or standing with victims of transitional justice.

His legal activism against powerful individuals, often carried out at personal risk, has earned him a reputation for courage and persistence.

Aryal’s defining battle, however, came against Lokman Singh Karki, the powerful former chief commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

In March 2013, Aryal filed the first writ challenging Karki’s appointment. Though initially unsuccessful, he pursued the case relentlessly.

After years of setbacks, his perseverance paid off when, on January 8, 2017, a full bench of the Supreme Court declared Karki ineligible for the post. It was described as an end to what many had come to call a “parallel regime” Karki ran through the anti-graft body. That victory cemented Aryal’s standing in Nepal’s legal and political landscape.

His path to this moment has been unconventional. Once an officer at the National Human Rights Commission, Aryal resigned in frustration and went on to challenge the very laws governing the institution in the Supreme Court.

The case expanded the constitutional interpretation of human rights and strengthened the commission’s role. Since then, he has consistently taken on public interest litigation, from the annulment of parliamentary dissolutions to challenges against unconstitutional appointments.

For years, Aryal also served as legal adviser to Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah. It is this trusted relationship with Shah that has now placed him in the heart of government during one of the most turbulent periods in Nepal’s democratic journey.

Speaking about Aryal’s appointment, senior advocate Raju Prasad Chapagain, who has worked with him on numerous rights cases, described him as “fearless and principled” rights advocate.

He added, however, that the minister now faces a different kind of trial. “As home minister, Aryal must be a coordinator, safeguard human rights, and end impunity, while protecting the reputation he built in the courts,” Chapagain said. “Gen-Z protesters and the wider public expect nothing less from him.”

For Aryal, who once stood in courtrooms as the voice of victims, the challenge is now to translate that conviction into governance. The same qualities that defined his career—tenacity, independence, and courage—will be tested as he steps into the country’s most powerful and scrutinised ministry.