KATHMANDU, Oct 31: In the parliamentary discussion on the Non-Government Bill on National Dignity, which aims to revise the hierarchy of the Chief Justice, the Legislation Committee of the National Assembly opted to retain the previous arrangement for the Chief Justice's ranking. The committee rejected the proposal to place the Chief Justice lower in the hierarchy than the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Speaker of the National Assembly.
The bill initially suggested a new hierarchy that would have ranked the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Speaker of the National Assembly above the Chief Justice. However, the committee decided to maintain the existing order, placing the Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, and Deputy Speaker of the Federal Parliament in that sequence after the President.
The 'National Dignity Bill, 2079,' was introduced to the National Assembly on March 19, 2023, and was subsequently reviewed by the Legislation Committee. One of the key points of contention was the proposal to lower the Chief Justice's ranking from the fourth to the fifth position, a proposition that triggered opposition within the judiciary and objections from the Nepal Bar Association.
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Under the revised hierarchy, former President, former Vice President, former Prime Minister, former Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and former Chief Justice have been positioned in the sixth rank. The seventh rank accommodates the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, former Speaker of the Legislature Parliament, former Speaker of the National Assembly, and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives.
Deputy Prime Minister, Province Chief, and Minister of the Government of Nepal are ranked eighth, whereas the previous hierarchy had placed the Chief Minister above the Minister of the Government of Nepal. Notably, the Chief Minister's position in the provincial hierarchy has been reconfigured.
Additionally, the Legislation Committee has promoted the Leader of the Opposition to the seventh rank. The bill also led to a demotion for the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, who previously held the 10th rank of dignity but is now ranked 15th within the metropolis and 18th outside the metropolis. All other metropolitan mayors, originally in the 11th position, have been placed at the 15th rank, in line with the Mayor of Kathmandu.
There were also changes to the hierarchy of the head of the District Coordination Committee, who was formerly ranked 11th but is now positioned at the 18th rank. The rankings of the Chief Secretary, Chief of Army Staff, Chairman of the Committee of the Parliament, and Minister of Provinces were adjusted, ensuring their positions were consistent.
Several ranks were revised in the bill, with positions such as the provincial minister of state, General Secretary of the Federal Parliament, and the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court seeing changes.
Nine Members of Parliament, including Ramesh Jung RayamaJhi, Devendra Dahal, Prakash Pant, Gopi Achami, Tul Bahadur BK, Pramila Kumari, Veduram Bhusal, and Shekhar Singh, registered the bill. The bill is scheduled for discussion in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
