The Constitutional Council has recommended Supreme Court Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma for appointment as Nepal’s next chief justice.

A meeting of the council on Thursday recommended Sharma as the country’s 33rd chief justice.

Sharma’s recommendation marks the first time in Nepal’s judicial history that a justice fourth in the seniority roll has been proposed for the country’s top judicial position.

If endorsed through the parliamentary hearing process, Sharma will serve a full six-year term.

Following the recommendation, the Parliamentary Hearing Committee will conduct a hearing on the proposed appointment. If endorsed by the committee, President Ramchandra Paudel will formally appoint Sharma as chief justice.

The post had remained vacant since the retirement of former chief justice Prakash Man Singh Raut, leaving the Supreme Court under acting leadership. Senior-most Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla had been overseeing the judiciary in the interim.

The Judicial Council had earlier sent a roster of six eligible permanent Supreme Court justices for consideration for the post of chief justice. Based on that roster, the Constitutional Council selected Sharma for recommendation.

On March 10, the Judicial Council had forwarded the names of Justices Malla, Kumar Regmi, Hari Prasad Phuyal, Sharma, Nahakul Subedi and Til Prasad Shrestha as eligible candidates for the position.

Sharma earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Nepal Law Campus and a Master of Laws degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University. He later obtained a doctorate in labour law from Tribhuvan University.

He enrolled as an advocate in 1995 and practised in various areas of law. He also advised several companies and institutions.

Sharma served as an additional judge at the appellate courts in Butwal and Patan from June 10, 2013, to December 12, 2015. He was appointed as a Supreme Court justice and assumed charge on April 19, 2019.