22 December, 2017
Kathmandu
Former judges of Nepal urged to swiftly implement the Supreme Court verdicts in relation to the peoples left high and dry. There are court decisions and directives to respond to the people affected by cold waves and other issues related to social security. The senior members of the judicial fraternity were speaking at an event jointly organized by the Forum for Former Judges and Justice and Rights Institute Nepal (JuRI-Nepal) in partnership with Alliance for Social Dialogue.
The event titled, “Judgment Watch Forum: Implementation Status of the Supreme Court’s Judgments on Social Security” aimed at reviewing the implementation status of the Supreme Court’s judgments on social security. Welcoming the members of the judicial communities, Sarmila Shrestha – the JuRI chairperson, set the tone for the discussion and the vice chairperson Shyam BK facilitated. The event was chaired by the former judge of the Supreme Court –Rajendra Kumar Bhandari.
Referring to some of the Court’s precedents, former Attorney General, Hari Phuyal made a short and snappy presentation regarding social security. Following his presentation, senior members of the forum highlighted that social security is not only for the cronies and the cadres of the political parties, but for the targeted peoples in need. While it has been enshrined under the fundamental rights by the Constitution of Nepal – 2015, it is being treated based on the political philosophy, annual budget, and the cabinet decisions.
Ramesh Dhakal, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, stated that: “Social security has not been provisioned from the human rights perspective.” There is no integrated legal frame to respond to it which is however, very important for the equitable distribution of the resources to the needy peoples. Pawan Kumar Ojha – former Justice at the Supreme Court, advocate Raju Chapagai among and others commented on the paper.