Kathmandu: A meeting of the Constitutional Council has been called to move forward the process of appointing the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

According to the Council Secretariat, the meeting has been scheduled for 5 pm on Thursday at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar, following instructions from Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who also chairs the Constitutional Council.

The primary agenda of the meeting is to recommend a name for the position of Chief Justice.

Those invited to participate in the meeting include Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal, National Assembly Chair Narayan Prasad Dahal, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam, Leader of the Opposition Bhishma Raj Angdembe, and Deputy Speaker Ruby Kumari Thakur.

Meanwhile, opposition parties, particularly the Nepali Congress, have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government’s approach.

Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa accused the government of attempting to keep the Constitutional Council under its control and of trying to appoint a Chief Justice of its own choosing.

Speaking to media persons after a parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday, Thapa alleged that the government was using the ordinance route to bypass institutional checks and push through its preferred candidate.

“We were able to stop such attempts in the past, but now it has become difficult because the government brought an ordinance,” Thapa said. He further claimed that the current government, like previous ones, was trying to use political influence to place loyal individuals in constitutional positions.

The controversy has intensified political debate over judicial independence and the role of the Constitutional Council in key state appointments.