Nepal’s first female chief justice suspended

Nepal’s first female Supreme Court chief justice was suspended after an impeachment motion was filed in parliament accusing her of bias and interfering with executive powers.

Sushila Karki, who had one of the highest positions ever held by a woman in Nepal, was suspended automatically after the motion signed by nearly half the members in parliament was registered, Supreme Court spokesman Mahendra Nath Upadhaya said Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi resigned in protest of the impeachment motion, an absence likely to cause problems because crucial municipal and district elections are planned in two weeks. Nidhi was also the home minister tasked with arranging security for the polls.

Nidhi handed in his resignation because he disagrees with the motion filed against the chief justice, which will bring further distance between the legislature and judiciary, his press adviser Ramjee Dahal said.