Former chief justice Kalyan Shrestha has been elected the commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). Shrestha, whose tenure will be of five years, was elected through a ballot conducted in November and December 2016.

Headquartered in Geneva, the ICJ is a standing group of 60 eminent jurists including senior judges, attorneys and academics dedicated to ensuring respect for international human rights standards through law. Commissioners are asked to make themselves available to participate in ICJ activities, such as country missions or trial observations, representing the ICJ at conferences, speaking to the media on behalf of the ICJ and providing ICJ staff with expert advice in relation to their region and in their areas of thematic expertise.

Before retiring as the chief justice in 2016, Shrestha had served as the chief judge of Jumla Appellate Court. He joined the judicial service in 1972 as section officer and was appointed district judge in 1979. He also served as an under-secretary at the Law Ministry before rejoining judicial service in 1985. He was appointed Supreme Court justice in 2005.