Nepal’s first female judge to head the Supreme Court has been suspended after an impeachment motion was signed by parliament members.
Sushila Karki was suspended automatically after the motion signed by nearly half the members in parliament was registered.
The two main parties in the ruling coalition – the Maoists and the Nepali Congress (NC) – accused Sushila Karki of interference after the Supreme Court last month overturned the government’s choice for chief of police.
The government had appointed Jaya Bahadur Chand as police chief, but the court ruled that the highest-ranking officer Navaraj Silwal should take the top job.
As chief justice, Karki held one of the highest positions ever by a woman in Nepal.
She was known for zero tolerance against corruption. The motion signed by members of Nepal’s two largest ruling parties accused Karki of interfering with executive powers and issuing biased decisions.
