KATHMANDU, Sept 6: The Committee on Determining Judicial System (CDJS) on Sunday submitted its preliminary draft report and concept paper to Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nembang. Nembang has called the CA meeting for deliberations on the report on Wednesday. [break]
“I have received the report and will call for a CA meeting to discuss it,” Nembang said after receiving the concept paper. Chairman of the committee, Prabhu Sah, a UCPN (Maoist) leader, had handed over the report to Nembang amid a function. The CDJS is the sixth among 11 thematic CA committees to submit their concept papers for discussion in the CA.
The major issues that the committee has recommended include provision to appoint Supreme Court (SC) justices from outside SC justices, have two separate mechanisms for the appointment of SC justices and judges at central and provincial courts, and parliamentary control over judiciary with the power of appointing, taking action and sacking a judge. Though the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML were against such a system, majority members of the committee voted in favor of the provisions, which were proposed by the Unified CPN (Maoist).
The 43-member committee held 99 rounds of meeting to finalize the draft report and concept paper. Earlier, the CA completed deliberations on the preliminary draft reports and concept papers prepared by five other thematic committees.
CA Chairman Nembang postponed the meeting until further notice after the CA completed deliberations on the draft report prepared by the CA committee on determining legislative bodies.
Other five committees yet to prepare their reports are the constitutional committee, the committee on restructuring the state and distribution of state power, the committee on determining the form of governance, the committee on division of natural resources, financial rights, and public revenue, and the committee on determining fundamental rights and directive principles.
CA to reset deadline
Nembang said that the CA secretariat was planning to reschedule its deadline for the sixth time as it has already missed deadlines set earlier. As per the latest deadline the CA was scheduled to complete deliberations on all the 11 thematic preliminary draft reports and concept papers by Sunday.
“We will reschedule the timetable but will not extend the final deadline -- May 28, 2010-- to promulgate the new constitution,” Nembang said, adding, “We are committed and confident that the constitution will be written on time.” He, however, said that political understanding and sincere commitment toward the constitution writing task at the highest political level was a must.
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