Kathmandu, Oct. 29 -- The Supreme Court conducted nine joint benches and two single benches on Wednesday, but Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma refrained from participating in the lottery system for case allocation.

Following a long Dashain vacation, the court reopened on Monday, with the constitutional bench scheduled to be formed on Wednesday. However, anticipating friction and controversy during its formation, CJ Sharma neither took up a bench himself nor formed the constitutional bench.

The last time CJ Sharma formed the constitutional bench was on October 7. On that occasion, Justice Hari Prasad Phuyal stated he could not sit on the bench, leading to the suspension of proceedings. With the bench failing to materialise following the ...