Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana on Monday transferred three judges of the Supreme Court; and many of the stakeholders have considered it an action against them. Major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu Valley on Tuesday have given significant priority to this event.
Meanwhile, after a fatal explosion at Ncell head office, industrialists and traders of the country are apparently worried. It has been reflected on the front page news stories of Kathmandu newspapers as they continue to publish many followup stories. As the Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’-led Maoist party claimed responsibility of the attack, most of the news stories highlight the party’s activities.
The meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokharel and United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asia Joseph H Felter has also received significant priority by the newspaper editors today.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the cover pages of national broadsheets:
Important
Chief Justice ‘takes action’ against Special Court judges
Annapurna Post reports in a snippet that Supreme Court judges Chandi Raj Dhakal and Ratna Bahadur Bagchand have been transferred to Jumla bench of Surkhet High Court and Narayan Prasad Pokharel to Rajbiraj bench of Janakpur High Court.
Rajdhani interprets it as an action taken against the judges as the Chief Justice received complaints against them that claimed they were incompetent to deliver justice and worked in cahoots with the middlemen.
The report claims that the Judicial Council is investigating into 78 judges working at various courts.
Naya Patrika has also published a related story.
After Ncell explosion, pvt sector demands security improvements
Two biggest organisations representing Nepali industrialists and traders–Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Nepal Chamber of Commerce–issued separate statements calling on the government to ensure sufficient peace and security for the businesses following an explosion targeting the head office of Ncell, a leading telecommunications company of the country, reports Karobar.
The statements mention that speeches of the Prime Minister, key political leaders and ministers are positive about creating investment friendly environment in the country, but the reality is not corroborating them.
Ignored
Govt collects details of Tibetan refugees on software
In its bid to control the entry of new Tibetan refugees into Nepal and their anti-China activities, the government has begun collecting details of them and recording them on software, Rajdhani reports in a two column story.
It is believed that around 14,000 Tibetan refugees are residing in various places of Nepal.
Province, local staff to be barred from trade union rights
The federal government has proposed to bar civil servants working under provincial and local governments from exercising trade union rights, Naya Patrika reports in a snippet.
The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration is consulting other ministries about the new rules proposed for them, according to the report.
Biplav’s extortion drive in Province 5
The Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’-led party has sent a letter to all locals units of Province 5, urging them to ‘donate’ two per cent of their development budget to the party, Kantipur reports in a story dispatched from the provincial capital Butwal.
The party has said it needs money in order to run a ‘people’s government’ as an alternative to the parliamentary system.
Action sought against Raj Narayan Pathak’s brother
Professors of Purbanchan University have demanded that authorities investigate into claims that the university’s dean Shubha Narayan Pathak was involved in a bribery case. Pathak is the younger brother of former CIAA commissioner Raj Narayan Pathak, who recently resigned from his position at the anti-corruption constitutional body, reports Republica.
The professors have argued the image of the university will be further tarnished if the one accused in bribery case continues to hold the dean’s position.
Interesting
Tatopani border point likely to come into operation after two months
Annapurna Post anchor story reports that trade activities via Tatopani border point between Nepal and Tibet of China are likely to resume by May. The border point was closed after the 2015 earthquake damaged key infrastructures at the point and a road connecting Kathmandu and Tatopani.
China has agreed to reopen the border after Nepal assured that no anti-China activities will take place via the border, according to the report.
