Kathmandu, June 30 -- Despite pledging during his parliamentary hearing to establish a system for appointing judges before vacancies arise, Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma has yet to initiate the appointment process, more than a month after taking office.

Sharma explicitly assured to address the structural crisis in the judicial system, mainly triggered by a shortage of judges. He committed to establishing a proactive system ensuring that judicial vacancies would be filled well before sitting judges retired. Despite these public assurances, more than a month has passed since his appointment, and the formal process to fill empty seats has not even commenced.

Long before Sharma took the oath of office and secrecy on May 19, three justice...